Dishes served with a “candle” and desserts pressed with a hot iron? This new woodfire specialty restaurant in the CBD brings fire, smoke and theatrics to your meal. Enter Il Toro Woodfire Grill: the latest entrant in our F&B scene, helmed by a renowned chef behind other popular concepts like Cenzo and Chicco Pasta Bar.
@shout.sg This new Italian-style woodfire grill in Singapore cooks nearly everything on an open flame! Think dishes finished with flaming beef fat, edible “candles” and desserts torched with a hot iron! Il Toro Woodfire Grill Address: 18 Gemmill Lane, Singapore 069255
Taking centrestage at the restaurant is a massive woodfire hearth, where hot flames are constantly stoked alive. What’s special about Il Toro is that nearly every dish on the menu is kissed by fire, so you can expect flavours that are smoky, unapologetic, yet full of flavour.
Focaccia & Beef Fat Candle, $8
Coffin Bay Oysters, $6/pc
Tuna & Fermented Daikon, $28
Sea bream & Amalfi Lemon, $22
To start, you’ve got to get their signature Focaccia & Beef Fat Candle ($8). The foccacia bread itself is perfectly grilled and crusty, and you can smell the smoky—not burnt—aroma with each bite. The bread is served with a lit edible “candle” that’s made of beef fat, which melts into a buttery sauce for you to drench your bread with. The restaurant also uses a special flabadou tool to drip blazing hot flames dripping with molten beef fat onto dishes like the Coffin Bay Oysters ($6/pc) and Tuna & Fermented Daikon ($28). This is not only a spectacle to behold, but also adds a balanced smokiness to dishes that are usually eaten raw.
Tiger prawns, $32/4pcs
Iberico Pork Belly & Sausage Skewer, $8/pc
Octopus & Miso Corn, $36
The restaurant is known for their flame-grilled seafood and meat dishes, and one of our top favourites has got to be the Tiger prawns ($32/4pcs), which was perfectly charred on the outside but remained plump, juicy and sweet inside; topped with savoury garlic bits. While we had high hopes for the Octopus & Miso Corn ($36), unfortunately our octopus was not as tender as we had hoped; but the side of miso corn definitely helped to lift the dish with a little more umami, freshness and crunch.
Blackmore Wagyu MS9+ Tri Tip, $78
Baby Potatoes & Ricotta, $12
You can’t visit Il Toro and not get one of their steaks, especially their prized Blackmore Wagyu MS9+ Tri Tip ($78), which is a highly-coveted cut of Australian Wagyu beef that’s exclusively available to enjoy at Il Toro. The beef itself is cooked simply over fire, and attentively seared to ensure an even crust on all sides. The inside is a perfectly even shade of pink, incredibly tender and marbled, while still maintaining a good balance of bite and meltiness—no notes. The side of Baby Potatoes & Ricotta ($12) stole the show for us, and is definitely a must-get dish if you love fluffy crispy smashed-style potatoes.
Mint Slice al Fuoco, $16
End off with a sweet treat, like their Mint Slice al Fuoco ($16), which is another eye-catching, theatrical performance. The dessert topped with marshmallow fluff is torched tableside using a vintage hot iron press. While we’re not big fans of mint-flavoured desserts, this one was pretty palatable: the mint flavour was on the subtler side, with the light chocolate mousse base and brownie crumbles shining through.
Il Toro is not your usual stuffy or fancy steakhouse grill: the ambience here feels much more raw, with a moody and dimly-lit space and exposed brick columns. This rawness translates into the menu itself, offering dishes that are unpretentiously delicious, yet still modern and refined in presentation. We definitely recommend snagging a seat at the Chef’s Table so you can get up close to all the blazing fiery action.
Il Toro
Address: 18 Gemmill Ln, Singapore 069255
Opening Hours: Monday-Saturday, 12pm-2.30pm & 5.30pm-10pm
