Kubo's Bar and Grill

Kubo's Bar and Grill in Coorparoo dishes up authentic Filipino cuisine from crispy pata and adobo to delicious desserts.

Fans of Kubo's on the Gold Coast will be happy to hear that the popular Filipino restaurant has opened a second eatery on Brisbane's east side, bringing a taste of the Philippines to Coorparoo. 

For the uninitiated, Filipino food is influenced by a variety of cuisines including Indian, Chinese and Spanish, cooked using traditional methods.

Kubo's mouth-watering menu includes tasty starters such as crispy maskara (deep fried pig's cheek crackling), kinilaw (Filipino ceviche) and lumpiang shanghai - Filipino-style spring rolls filled with minced pork, onion, carrots and spices. 

The restaurant's signature dishes range from crispy pata (deep-fried pig knuckle) and lechon kawali (deep-fried pork belly) to the Philippines' famous adobo - your choice of chicken, pork or pussit (squid) simmered in a sauce of vinegar, soy and garlic. 

Other popular options include beef kadereta (Filipino stew), chicken kare kare (skewers drizzled with peanut sauce) and seafood dishes like milkfish (bangus) grilled or fried. Otherwise, there are noodle dishes, soups, stir-frys and sizzling plates of chilli squid, sweet and spicy chicken, and sisig (Pig's Mask) - a traditional dish made from parts of a pig's head and chicken liver. 

Filipino desserts worth trying are turon (deep-fried banana wrapped in spring roll wrapper, served with ice-cream), buko pandan (pandan-flavoured gelatine and shredded coconut mixed with cream and sweetened milk) and Halo-Halo - literally translated as mix-mix, this delicious concoction includes coconut jelly, sugar palm, purple yam, sweetened bananas, macapuno strings and leche flan topped with shaved ice, milk and ube ice cream. 

In addition, there's a cake cabinet filled with delectable treats like sylvanna, palitawn and bilo bilo  

Kubo's is licensed with an array of Filipino spirits including Tanduary dark rum, Emperador brandy, Ginebra San Miguel gin and Lambanog - a traditional Filipino distilled palm liquor made from coconut; known as  Philippine Vodka or coconut wine.   

Beer on offer is an international affair with Red Horse from the Phillipines, served along with Japanese Sapporo and Asahi, plus Heineken (Netherlands) and Corona (Mexican).

By Deb Lidster