Despite the dorky name, 2KulGuyz rolls, cuts, and serves some of the most unique handmade pastas around.
It is started by two guys (obviously), comprising a chef who toiled in Italian cuisine for two decades, and an aspiring F&B newcomer.
Apart from “cool”, “Kul” also means “eat” in Arabic – for your information.
Just last year, they were making their way through pasar malams around, cooking up Halal Italian cuisine from a little stall.
Today, they occupy a spot in Galaxis along Fusionopolis at One North, with an outfit exactly like a classy Italian bar and restaurant.
Looking through the menu at 2KulGuyz, there is a good mix of innovation and fusion.
Their calling card is of course the handmade pastas, which come in a number of varieties and colours.
Pastas on display are rotated every few days to keep things fresh.
Apart from your basic spaghetti and squid ink pasta, there are shapes like the wavy Mafaldine and cone-like Campanelle. (It did remind me a little of Tipo Strada.)
They are also far from being ordinary coloured. Instead, some pastas are dyed with natural colours from grapefruit, squid ink, blue pea, and more, to give them a sharp and distinct look.
Out front, there is a glass display for the pastas – think newspaper rack, but with strands of pastas hanging over it.
For lunch, various pastas are up for grabs from $13.90. They can be prepared Aglio Olio style, in Ragout Sauce, Cream Sauce, or with Tomato Base.
For dinner, more good stuff is available for small bites, sides, pastas, and even main courses such as Herb Codfish ($36.90), Mezzo Spatchcock ($29.90) and Striploin Steak ($34.90).
While customers can pick their preferred pasta, I decided to let the chefs decide as they know best.
A long-time favourite of theirs seems to be the Truffle Chicken Mushroom ($21.90), tossed in a cream sauce that is infused with parsley, truffle oil, bits of mushroom and shaved parmesan.
It had a good balance of truffle fragrance and savouriness.
While some cream-based pasta dishes can get jelak, I thought they somehow managed to keep this rich and exciting on every bite, without being too heavy.
The Prawn Aglio Olio ($24.90) was pretty tantalising with its mix grilled tiger prawns, herb butter, and bird eye chilli.
Squid-ink pasta was not quite what I was expecting though, and the noodle texture had a different bit, I would say more ‘al dente’ than the usual.
What I enjoyed were the mix of flavours, especially when the pasta was coated with the garlic-infused olive oil, adding a subtle yet tantalising flavour to the dish.
The herb butter added this fragrant aroma, while the bird eye chilli provided a spicy kick that is atypical from the usual Italian pasta.
You could also order some small bites to share, such as Cheesy Garlic Bread ($9.90), Deep Fried Calamari ($12.90) and Bone Marrow Garlic Bread ($16.90) which would come fresh out of the oven to provide an irresistible combo of garlic bread and bone marrow.
The Samyang Tots ($14.90) looked like something interesting, with crispy tater tots providing a satisfying crunch with every bite.
Yes, there was a Korean-style Samyang chicken ragout giving it that fiery kick – but was still manageable for me. Was a 7/10 in terms of spicy level? Shiok!
2KulGuyz is definitely one to watch, especially as we all need good and new Italian food with a creative local twist once in a while.
2KulGuyz
Galaxis #01-34, 1 Fusionopolis Pl, Singapore 138522
Opening Hours: 11am – 9pm (Mon – Fri), 11am – 5pm (Sat), Closed Sun
Other Related Entries
Tipo Strada (Novena)
Noosh Noodle Bar & Grill (Esplanade Mall)
Mondays.. Café (Jalan Kapla)
GAMO (Bras Basah)
Penny University (Jalan Klapa)
* Written by Daniel Ang and Dean Ang. Follow @DanielFoodDiary on Facebook, Instagram and Youtube for more food news, food videos and travel highlights. DFD paid for food reviewed unless otherwise stated.
