Open Secret

There has been much talk over the opening of Open Secret at 60 Arab Street. Hosting the likes of Grilla Gang and State of Affairs, Open Secret is only accessible from the back entrance that is from the back alley of the shophouses near at Arab Street pretty near the walkway that leads up towards Sultan Mosque. Both brands that are currently occupying the space at Open Secret do have a presence in the local F&B scene somehow or rather — State of Affairs is probably the more recognisable one out of the two, considering how they do have an existing cafe that is situated within 183 Longhaus along Upper Thomson Road. Whilst Grilla Gang might seem like a new entrant to the local
F&B scene, it turns out that Grilla Gang does seem to be a brand by the folks of the now-defunct Missus that was once at Hamilton Road; their social media account does contain images tagged with Missus previously. Considering the small space that Grilla Gang and State of Affairs occupies, much of the seating space consists of the camping chairs which one can help themselves to and sit by the alley side across or beside the entrance leading up to Open Secret. Otherwise, there is a high table that serves as a standing space for those intending to consume the sandwich within the premises; there is also a bench located beside the counter, while a lone camping chair with a side table can also be found right in front of the food preparation area as well. Grilla Gang serves up the hot food at Open Secret — the menu revolving around grilled cheese sandwiches which was exactly what the folks at Missus used to specialise in, while State of Affairs takes care of the beverages menu which is segregated into sections such as Coffee, Non Coffee, Slush and Coconut Series.

Grilla Gang does serve up a number of grilled cheese toasties on their menu; that being said, the one that stood out to us the most would probably be the Bombay Toastie — this one is described on the menu to come with elements such as their in-house cheese blend, housemade tomato chutney and potato coriander masala. The bread that came with the Bombay Toastie seems to be that of a typical bread slice from a commercially-made loaf; having been griddled on the pan, it does come all crisp and crusty with all of the elements mentioned coming within. Sliced into halves, the in-house cheese blend does come with a bit of a cheese pull; savoury yet with a slight tang from the tomato chutney that keeps things refreshing and also from feeling particularly heavy. The potato coriander masala does come with firm potato chunks that carry a good bite; itself seemingly being pan-fried with Indian herbs and spices that really brought that vibe that the namesake of the sandwich suggested. The Salted Maple Coffee which State of Affairs offers on their Coffee section of the menu is essentially a latte offering that comes with salt-infused milk foam that sits atop; we did note of maple wasn’t particularly evident here — the latte being one of a light body and came with a nutty and earthy flavour profile. Not sure if the maple is sitting at the bottom of the entire cup, though we didn’t find the Salted Maple Coffee to be sweet. Open Secret is an establishment that seems to go for the vibes of a secret, underground hideout which is pretty much in plain sight for those going around the Kampong Glam neighbourhood; the feature of notable names like State of Affairs does help to create more exposure for Open Secret’s and Open Secret as a whole. For those looking for something simple and comforting for a bite but with a bit of a twist, Grilla Gang’s grilled cheese toasties do seem like something worthy of a consideration — would probably give their Kaya Toastie a try if we do find ourselves at Open Secret just to see how it would work out.