Kava Review: $12 Nett Lunch Sets At This Hidden Muslim-Owned Cafe Along Arab Street

The menu, lunch sets and rates have been changed as well. Nestled at the foot of a boutique hotel in Arab Street, Dan’s Muslim-owned cafe is cosy and comfortable—nice for a relaxed catch-up session over lunch.

The Kava Grilled Burger ($12 for lunch set) puts in a little more effort. Demi-glace is a traditional French brown sauce that may be more familiar to locals as the sauce that drenches Japanese hamburg steaks.

The sauce’s rich and savoury taste grants the burger an additional layer of meatiness that’s bolstered by bits of mushroom. As with any saucy burger, you’ll have to wolf this down quickly, before the absorbent buns get soggy from the demi-glace. The demi-glace’s umami savour complemented the thick beef patty that headlined this burger.

It mingled alluringly with the smoky crust of char that enveloped the burger—the result of a searingly hot grill. Despite that, it was still tender, and while it isn’t easy to navigate the tightrope walk between meatiness and juiciness, they got it pretty much spot on here.

We appreciated the variety of colours and textures, as the sweet potatoes added pops of sweetness to complement the standard fluffy fries. That’s why we were pleasantly surprised to see a duo of plump tiger prawns curled up on our Seafood Cream Pasta ($12 for lunch set) , along with a trio of mussels and a handful of clams.

We were also left wanting by the sauce, which was exceptionally smooth and creamy but lacked savour. A couple of ladles of seafood stock would have worked wonders, adding a depth of umami taste to complement the trio of seafood toppings.

We rounded off our meal with a tomato-based pasta: the Tomato Ricotta Pasta ($12 for lunch set) . The flavours were well-balanced, as sweetness and acidity from tomatoes, ricotta creaminess and wisps of smokiness all meld together in harmony. I’m a big fan of having a hint of smokiness in my pasta—sort of like Italian wok hei which adds an extra layer of fragrance to the plate.

That aroma is a result of frying noodles and sauce together on high heat rather than simply incorporating the sauce into the pasta off the stove. Considering that this commands the same quotation tag as both our previous dishes, we’d rather opt for a satisfying burger.

Once you find it though, the interior is comfy and welcoming, with rays of sun streaming in and a view of the pool overhead. While there are a couple of things that can be improved, this humble joint has the potential to blossom into a stalwart of the Muslim cafe scene if they can keep cranking out dishes like the Kava Grilled Burger.

There’s plenty of food in the Arab Street area such as Earlybird , and you can discover more with our list of 10 Haji Lane food gems !