The Place I am not an expert of Filipino cuisine. That said, I was excited to check out Kubo Woodfired Kitchen located in Robertson Quay which opened last August 2022. Helmed by Chef Kurt Sombero, the interior of Kubo is meant to make diners feel at room, split into a living area, dining area and an open kitchen concept. The highlight in the open kitchen is the pugon or traditional brick oven which is used to prepare the dishes.

 Chef Kurt Sombero has previously worked in a number of well-known restaurants, notably Restaurant André, Burnt Ends, and Impressions Restaurant (Manila). 

The Food The menu is mainly split into snack, appetiser, mains and dessert, and my meal started with the addictive Home-made Cassava Chips (S$10) which features fried processed cassava pulp served with smoked eggplant, miso dip and fish roe. 

The Inasal Mid-Wings (S$12/5pc) is one of my favourite dishes on the menu where the wings are very tender, almost fall-off-the-bone texture. You also get a nice smoky flavour, and it is served with atchara, and annatto sauce. 

The other bar snack worth getting is the Honeycomb Tripe (S$12) where the beef tripe is braised low and slow, flash fried, then seasoned with paprika and spicy chickpea puree. 

The other appetiser I had was the Prawns (S$24) which showcases grilled butterflied prawns served with toasted coconut cream, bird’s eye chili and kaffir essence. I like the creamy sauce here which goes well with the smoky, grilled fresh prawns. 

For a more substantial appetiser, there is the Sisig (S$25) which is essentially smoked pork cheeks, hand-chopped and caramelised in cast iron and seasoned with peppers and salted egg sauce. Expect strong flavours for this dish which goes well with the accompanying homemade potato flat bread (4 pieces). 

The Pork Longganissa (S$20) is a new appetiser dish on the menu and is originally an all-day breakfast classic in the Philippines, which features a naked (or caseless) sausage reminiscent of a chorizo. Chef Kurt uses a grilled hamonado naked-pork patty that has been marinated in soy, before serving it with ikura, cured egg and toasted bread. 

Other appetisers to expect include the Smoked Beef Tongue (S$24) which is cooked low and slow in the smoker with maple and tare, then grilled and served with smoked mushroom and tare. 

For mains, I tried the House-Aged Duck (S$42) where the in-house aged duck breast is smoked, grilled, and served with duck leg confit and carrot puree. Portion wise, it is a generous serving which is fit for sharing for 3-4 people. 

If you need carbs, there is the Turmeric Banana Leaf Rice (S$12), a dish commonly found in Chef Kurt’s hometown of Mindanao in the southern region of the Philippines. Cooked in a turmeric-infused broth, this rice dish is a great representation of how Southeast Asian cooking is intertwined with Malay and Indonesian styles offering a similar variety of this Tumeric Rice. 

For desserts, the Halo-Halo (S$14) is a purple yam ice cream with coconut jam, coconutty corn custard topped with a torched meringue. Alternatively, there is also the Leche Flan Bon Bon (S$15) with white chocolate filled with sweet vanilla custard and topped with caramel coated blueberry. 

Rants No bathroom within the restaurant, and the nearest public bathroom is quite a distance away.

Will I Return Again? I generally love wood-fired concepts as the dishes tend to come across with nice smoky flavours. Kubo Woodfired Kitchen is an interesting and modern take on Filipino flavours and for someone who is not very exposed to Filipino cuisine, the grilled dishes are easy to relate to. 

This was an invited tasting, though all opinions expressed are our own.

TheRantingPanda says:
Taste bud: 4/5
Hole in the pocket: 4/5
Ambience: 4/5
Overall Experience: 4/5

Kubo Woodfired Kitchen 
Unit #01-12 The Pier at Robertson 
80 Mohamed Sultan Road 
Singapore 239013 
Tel.: +65 9645 8436 
 
Opening Hours 
Tuesday to Friday: 5:30pm to 10pm 
Saturday & Sunday: 12pm to 3pm; 5:30pm to 10pm 
Closed on Monday 

Ranted by The Ranter