I’m sure you’ve noticed Two Sisters. It is found in a blue chip location that miraculously manages to be opposite both Maccas and KFC at the gross end of the Dickson shops. Where else can you admire the fluorescent view of evil multinational capitalism as you enjoy your tom yum?
Perhaps its most defining feature, however, are the eerie pinky-purple lights that lend the room a UFO-like appearance from the outside. Dodge the ground-floor bottle-o and make your way up the slightly dingy staircase until you reach the life size glamour shots of the two sisters, by whom the restaurant is run. The entire evening will be spent wearing rose coloured glasses as you admire the pink tinge to your meal and wonder whether the lighting is a cost-cutting exercise or a trademark statement.
I found the menu interesting (not a green curry with chicken / beef / prawn affair) and there were plenty of dishes I wanted to try. Meals range from $10 to $25 but average around $17. We were a bit bored with the entree menu- everything sounded pretty standard and very deep fried so we decided to go straight to mains. Two sisters is fully licensed despite a distinctly BYO aura (devo for the downstairs bottle-o!). The wine is cheap though, with glasses around $6 - $8 and bottles around $15 - $25. There are beers, spirits, tea and coffee on the menu too.
The adolescent waitress muttered something as she dropped a plate on the table. “Sorry?” I asked. “GAI YANG” she snapped, and I had a flashback to the last time I had eaten at Two Sisters and dared to ask for another bottle of water. Incidentally, on that occasion I ate a delicious salad with tender beef, crispy vegetables, toasted rice, lots of fresh herbs and a beautifully balanced sauce that tasted like fish sauce, garlic and chilli.
Gai yang (bbq chicken) came from the traditional Lao cuisine section of the menu though it’s prevalent in Thai cuisine too. In this case it was big juicy chicken thighs served with a nice sweet chilli sauce and coleslaw. The meat was succulent and completely delicious with garlic, ginger, lemongrass, turmeric and lime flavours. It’s a shame it was cut up into such small pieces. It also didn’t have a strong barbeque flavour, but we still loved it.
Next came Goong Kapow, a prawn dish. It arrived piled up with big fat prawns, which were beautifully butterflied and cooked absolutely perfectly. They were served in a thin peppery and garlicky sauce. It was salty and spicy and was mixed up with stir fried onion, spring onion, bamboo shoots and green beans.
M felt like Laksa (how predictable) and he chose chicken. It came out generously topped with a big pile of bean shoots, crispy fried onions and coriander. The liquid was thick, rich and creamy which was good, but sadly, I found that the creaminess overtook all other flavours; it wasn’t particularly fragrant. It was full of green beans, Chinese broccoli, vermicelli noodles, hokkien noodles, tofu and some kind of flattened chicken strips that I found confusing and a bit dry. I was disappointed but M thought it was ok.
Our green tea never arrived, but we didn’t mind (and I didn’t want to face the waitress again!)
By the time we’d eaten, the room had started to fill up and there was a nice buzzing atmosphere, without it being too noisy. We weren’t shoved out the door as soon as we’d put our chopsticks down (as is sometimes the practice in Dickson!)
I don’t know if it's just the pink lighting talking but I like the food here. Mostly, things are fragrant, nicely cooked and full of fresh herbs. The service is efficient and it’s in a fairly convenient location. Overall, Two Sisters is a good option for a cheap night out in Dickson.
But then, our beloved Dickson has so many places to eat, do you know of better Thai or Laos options around its grubby little local streets?
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