Dua Mediterranean Kitchen - Review - Bryn Mawr - Philadelphia - The Infatuation
"When a restaurant calls itself a Mediterranean kitchen, do they mean they cook everything from Spanish cuisine to Middle Eastern? In Dua’s case, yes. Luckily for Bryn Mawr locals, the Albanian-owned BYOB leans most heavily into its Balkan identity. Its flavors are influenced by neighboring Greece, Italy and the Balkan States—think olives, feta, lemon, and garlic—with a touch of soviet-era bluntness still lingering. The hospitality is warm and there’s a palpable sense of pride that infuses the dining room, from the original art on the walls to the comfortable leather chairs you’ll want for your living room (we think you can find them at West Elm). When you ask the server for recommendations, she might take you through the whole menu. The first bite of bread is homemade and dotted with olives. Some of Philly’s best known—though definitely not best—Italian restaurants are Albanian-helmed: Capri, La Viola, and Le Fontana Della Citta, to name a few. Dining at many of these spots, you would be wise to seek out the dishes with the Balkan flair rather than the forgettable parmesan-whatever. At Dua, dine with a large group and say “all of the above” to the mezze, and then get the show-stopping paella for four with some pistachio-crusted lamb chops to supplement. If you do, you might wonder why the entire Philly area is peppered with Italian restaurants but not Albanian. Food Rundown Mediterranean Duo The quality of a Mediterranean restaurant can be assessed by its dips. If the hummus is cold, gloppy, made-ahead paste that smells like its chopped onion neighbor in the fridge, ask for the check immediately. Dua’s dips pass the test. The hummus is warm and garnished with toasted sesame seeds, olive oil, and crisp chickpeas. The muhammara is vibrant and smooth, though salty. photo credit: Jonathan Deutsch Shrimp Saganaki Saganaki is the queso fundido of the Mediterranean. This one has petit shrimp perfectly cooked in a loose sauce of tomato and saganaki cheese served in a skillet. It’s a bit thin for dipping, but the flavor wins out. Ask for more bread (or a straw) to join the clean plate club on this one. photo credit: Jonathan Deutsch Moussaka The moussaka is appetizer-sized at Dua and thank goodness for that—it’s heavy enough to be an entree on its own. It is hearty and warming, though would benefit from some of the extra salt from the mezze. Burek The description of the burek at Dua is “filo dough stuffed with sheep milk cheese, topped with fig jam, organic honey.” You may be thinking of something dainty and hand-held. What you get is a giant slab of cheese resting on a few sheets of phyllo. That is not a complaint, just an observation. Order it. Paella Spanish paella in an Albanian restaurant? The Mediterranean is huge and every region has some sort of rice and seafood dish, so let’s not split hairs. This one is stuffed with sausage, calamari, mussels, two kinds of shrimp, (inexplicably) Atlantic salmon, chickpeas, and peas. Paella is one of those great classic dishes we don’t have enough of in Philly restaurants. Opa! photo credit: Jonathan Deutsch" - Jonathan Deutsch
