IL TORO WOODFIRE GRILL REVIEW: CHEF DREW NOCENTE STRIKES AGAIN

IL TORO WOODFIRE GRILL REVIEW: Best grill in Singapore? I tell you what you have to go try, and judge for yourself… Suffice it to say, it is simply exceptional

IL TORO WOODFIRE GRILL REVIEW: What an incredible wood-fire joint this is: all I ask of Chef Drew is to light me a proper fire, char the meat like he means it, and don’t serve salads that look more wilted than porn star before he takes his little blue pill. Il Toro Woodfire Grill ticks ALL those boxes and then parked a great whacking pile of embers on top of the open hearth — it is #Foodporn and #FoodTheatre on steroids, folks.

From the minute we walked in, the place smelt like someone had bottled a campfire and sprayed it about with malicious intent. I took one sniff and ordered like a crazed person who’s seen the light. Combine incredible food, with theatre, a more than satisfying sizzle and a lick of smoke clinging to my shirt for the rest of the day — I am in my playground.

The set-up: an open hearth fully lit with different woods and temperatures, a viewing countertop the size of Bohol to sit at and watch (yes, flown in from China in one piece = WOW), and staff who love to talk fat caps, dry-age, bone-in versus bone-out, and how far you want to push “medium-rare” before the cow files a complaint. Yes, Chef Drew, you have given me a LOT of ideas for The Kapre Restaurant and Bar.

There’s an awesome selction of the good stuff (including impressive selection of tequila and mezcals — I might have to go back to see Chef Drew about Mr McConaughey’s liquid…), and a dining room that says, “Yes, you may order the tomahawk. No, you ain’t leaving until you finish it.” It’s exquisite rough-edged decor is uber-cool, with exposed brick, concrete and scorched wood. It seriously so impressive — especially when you remember back to it’s previous days as Bar a Thyme — what a transformation.First impressions of Il Toro Woodfire Grill: charcoal perfume and the menu that pokes you in the ribs, as you eat their ribs…

First impressions of Il Toro Woodfire Grill: charcoal perfume and the menu that pokes you in the ribs, as you eat their ribs…

Menus at steakhouses can be very samey. Il Toro and Chef Drew dodges that immaculately by anchoring the grill section with an incredible array (yes I actually wrote that — this is not GenAI) of cuts and wagyu from Ozzieland and Japan (from our mates at Butcher Box), then throwing in little mischief-makers that keep your eyes wandering. Think: charred octopus with Nduja, burnt chive butter & miso corn, Mackerel, whipped bone marrow & salsa verde, and Cabbage, garlic, chilli & herb oil that genuinely deserves these words — bronzed outside, tender within, sitting on a puddle of, what Chef called, Cowboy Butter. Non-meat eaters, you know who you are, yes you are allowed and can absolutely enjoy yourself here.

Then the steak arrived for our table of three — because I’ve no self-control when I see that Pink2Pink thing of beauty and the shimmer of resting juices, I just dived in head first. The steak had that gorgeous fat-rim crisp, and was marbled like a topographical map of beefy happiness; seasoned perfectly, and plated as tidy, focused, and beefy as a rugby scrum. WOOF!!!

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What does Chef Drew Nocente say: An Italian Soul, an Austrlian Spirit

“Helmed by Chef Drew Nocente, Il Toro is a personal journey back to heritage. Italian by blood, raised in Australia, Drew brings together the soulful flavours of Italy with the bold, ingredient-driven approach of modern Australian cooking. Known for his respect for produce and fire-led techniques, he crafts dishes that are both rooted in tradition and reimagined for today.”

What are the Il Toro sides that stop traffic on Gemmill Lane

I had a pop at Chef Drew for not embellishing the dishes more in the menu, becaise when you get them served up you’ll appreciate just how much more could be said… I hope I do our chosen dishes today, justice with my writings. Here are my death-row sides from Chef Drew’s incredible Il Toro Woodfire Grill Menu:

• Charred cabbage with beef-dripping crumbs & wholegrain mustard
• Wagyu tartare, confit egg yolk & prawn garam
• Coffin Bay Oysters, yuzu koshu & smoked beef fat
• Baby potatoes, hot honey & ricotta

Also the bread deserves more than a mention. They do a smoky focaccia that swings past the table charred and crispy, with a real beef fat candle. Slather the focacia with that melting beef tallow candle. Try not to cry.

Foie gras, fig & pistachio @ $8 pc

My golly gosh. A WOW moment with this pairing of ingredients. Perfect bed-fellows on this unctuous, nutty, savoury bite of goodness. This is seriously grown-up foie gras dining… DELISH…

Iberico pork belly & sausage skewer @ $8 pc

A genius design for this unique skewer, with indovoidual little pork and sausage squares. All charred over the flame adding a depth of smoky char that is simply unbeatable. Yummo!!!

Focaccia, beef fat candle @ $8

Oh my goodness gracious me. This is special. The bread is charred and smoky, with a crunch you could hear in Johor Bahru. Then Chef Drew lights the candle-folks — it is beef fat (tallow), that gradually melts giving you this massively heart-stopping deliciousness to dip that bread into. I said it above and I’ll say it again: “Try not to cry…”

Wagyu tartare, confit egg yolk & prawn garam @ $24

Best I have ever had. Without a doubt. Luckily Chef Drew was able to leave the prawn garam of for Jude Jude and me. Just an incredible tartare dish. Beautiful on the eyes too. Super-soft chunks of steak, with herb oil, a seriously good confit and pickled celery — TO DIE FOR MUST-TRY…

Coffin Bay Oysters, yuzu koshu & smoked beef fat @ $6 pc

Clearly not for me, haha… But this is one for the eyes as well as gob. Chef Drew heats up this really cool device in the fires. He then plates up the oysters as above, then pours beef fat into the device and WOOF let the fire theatre begin. The beef fat basically hits that hot metal and ignites and smokes and then melts and drips onto the oyster. It is WOW, and Wifey called these out as the very best oysters she has ever had — that comes with high regard Chef, #BeProud.Cabbage, garlic, chilli & herb oil @ $12

Cabbage, garlic, chilli & herb oil @ $12

Blackened frills outside, sweet and soft inside. I think I even said, wow vegetarians could eat here… oh my gosh… what’s wrong with me? OK, joking aside, this cabbage dish is up there with little cabbage angels playing on their angelic cabbage harps. It’s truly a thing of beauty, charred, sweet, savoury, unctuous all in one. Bravo Chef — total stunner. It’s officialy I loved this Cowboy Butter so much, I even had an urge to watch Brokeback Mountain…Salt & pepper tripe @ $17

Salt & Pepper Tripe

Tripe chips with delish dip. Come on, how good were these? I could sit of a beach in the Philippines with a cold San Miguel, sand between toes and eat a bucket of these. So good, so moreish: Jude Jude and me polished these off in a blink.

Chef Drew — I am totally stealing this dish for my restaurant in the Philippines. Come and try my version when we open: The Kapre Restaurant and Bar.

Baby potatoes, hot honey & ricotta @ $12

I literally could not stop eating these, despite the food coma I was experiencing at that very moment. Little new pots, smashed a little so you get edges that then crisp up to perfection, sweet, savoury and just so flipping addictive. That’s it, they’re on my menu at The Kapre haha. It’s a compliment Chef.

Drinks: red, white, and things that clink at Il Toro

The wine list has backbone without reading like a tax code. Plenty of beef-friendly Hearty Cabs and Chianti Classico, Australian Shiraz, and heaps of Italian numbers if you fancy going Toscana with your steak. By-the-glass options are sensible, so you can pair across courses without selling a kidney. Cocktails lean towards smoke and spice — think Mezcal Old Fashioned, , and a Bloody Maria to die for with vodka, tomato, parmesan foam & celery salt that smells like someone dragged the herb garden over the coals for fun.

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Amelia Park lamb ribs, yeast butter 400g @ $40

The only dish from today’s gourging that I would say: “It was OK lamb“. It was nice, don’t get me wrong, just pailed into minority by the other dishes — such is the high standards set at Il Toro.

Octopus, Nduja, burnt chive butter & miso corn @ $36

Blue Kouzina and Spago retain the top spot for Wifey, but she did indeed rave abou this from Chef Drew. I had a little bite and it was bloody good, with that chive butter and miso corn = goodness gracious me, stunner.

Best Octopus Dish In Singapore HERE

Blackmore wagyu ms9+ tri tip 200g (limited & exclusive to IL TORO) @ $78

Perfectly cooked Pink2Pink. Flavour profiles like no other from the high heat char, and hanging rest over the indirect heat, and smoke from the wood embers. It is just crazy good. Perfectly salted and seasoned, every bite was stuff of legends Steak… WOW!!! Can’t wait for next try.

The hits list: dishes you should bully your table into ordering

• Satsuma Wagyu A5 flat iron — WAGYU WOW!!!
• Charred Octopus, smoked paprika, potato — texture masterclass, gone in seconds.
• Bone Marrow on Toast — rich, glossy, lifted by a sharp, pickly top note.
• Dry-Aged Striploin — for those who love that deep beefy bassline.
• Ribeye — juice, marbling, and bite; the crowd-pleaser.
• Charred Cabbage with Dripping Crumbs — yes, a cabbage can be exciting.
• Potato — crispy edges, layered core; hide from the kids.
• Wood-Roasted Mushrooms — little flavour bombs; order two.
• Apple crumble, smoked mascarpone & chestnut — share if you love your family; otherwise, guard it.
• House-made Limoncello — super good finish to your meal.

Il Toro Woodfire Grill photos

I want one, I want one… In fact, Wifey said I can have one at The Kapre Restaurant and Bar. Yeah baby, love you. So ours is gonna be outdoor against the fire-wall at the front of the resto. Now I’m excited. Plus check the seating countertop — that is one piece of timber about 3″ thick, from China — it took about ten guys to carry it in. Exceptional.

The fire bit: heat management like a boss

Let’s talk fire. Too many places treat a wood-fire grill like a macho Instagram prop. Il Toro actually uses it. You can taste the difference between blasting heat for sear, medium heat for slow persuasion, and that “kiss on the pass” to wake everything up before it hits the table.

If you sit with a view of the open hearth, it’s mesmerising: logs going in, grates shifting, flames flaring, Chef Drew moving proteins around like chess pieces. The edges of steaks come with a micro-crunch that says “Maillard and smoke shook hands,” and the centres? Warm blush, Pink2Pink, juicy, whispering: “Don’t f@ck this up by asking for well-done or ketchup.”

Pacing, portions & price reality

Portions are generous without being farcical. You can eat like a human and leave happy; you can also order like a rugby team and feel heroic. Pricing is in line with a serious grill house using good product and real wood. Could you go cheaper? Sure — but you’ll miss the point. There’s value here if you build your table sensibly: share the larger cuts, pick multiple sides for that ‘tapas’ experience. Your wallet won’t sh!t itself, and your table will look like a magazine Instagram shoot.

Pacing on our visit was bang-on: starters came quick-quick, steaks landed after a proper rest, and nobody attempted to remove a plate while I was still guarding a single potato with my steak knife. The room hums with oooohs and ahhhhs as the dishes come out — and the conversations, Chef and staff interactions, food theatre and flames will make your dining experience go off like a happy little furnace. Of that I am 1,000% confident.

Service & small mercies

Great places don’t only cook; they interact. We had answers galore to nerdy questions from Chef Drew and the staff like “What wood are you burning tonight?” and “How many days on that dry-age?” No eye-rolls, just straightforward answers and a quick check-in after the first bites. That, friends, is the little thing that makes you remember a dining experience.

Kids? Bring them if they like meat, and fire. This is where the tomahawk earns its keep. Business lunch? Order that tomahawk and you’ll seal your deal, and impress your boss/clients without needing any jusrtification of your expenses back at the office.

Il Toro Woodfire Grill Menu

Il Toro Woodfire Grill Food Menu HERE

Il Toro Woodfire Grill Lunch Menu HERE

Il Toro Woodfire Grill Drinks Menu HERE

Voice of the Restaurant: Il Toro Woodfire Grill

IN PURSUIT OF FLAME

“At Il Toro, fire is at the heart of everything we do. Inspired by the Italian tradition of grigliata and shaped by Australian spirit, we bring whole cuts, bold flavours, and honest hospitality to the table. More than restaurant, Il Toro is a space for connection — where every detail is chosen with intention, and every meal is meant to be shared.”

Il Toro Woodfire Grill Review: Final Thoughts

Fire is honest. It gives and it punishes. Il Toro Woodfire Grill treats fire like an old mate — respected, fed properly, and never taken for granted — including new skin burns in new places. The steaks are downright awesome, the seafood is exceptional, the veg has character all of its own, and the desserts pull you back from the brink of meat-comas with a confident grin. Service is so clued-up without being stiff, and the drinks list is just uber-cool.

Would I return? Already booked for Jude Jude’s birthday dinner. Next time I’m ordering that Japanese A5 Satsuma Wagyu with no shame or afterthought. If you’ve been reading Is Life A Recipe for a while, you’ll know I appreciate a place that knows exactly what it wants to be and cooks accordingly. Il Toro Woodfire Grill is that. Fire, meat, three senses slaps, theatre, flavour, and a dining room that smells like happiness. I was in my favourite playground for a few hours of total foodie indulgence. Great work Chef Drew — NAILED IT BROTHER!!!

Il Toro Woodfire Grill Opening Hours

• Tuesday to Saturday: From 12pm to 2:30pm and then 5:30pm to 10:30pm
• Closed Sundays and Mondays

Il Toro Woodfire Grill Address

Address: 18 Gemmill Ln, Singapore 069255

Is Il Toro Woodfire Grill Halal?

Are you having a laugh? Porky pork on the menu, and enough booze to keep the Royal Navy sailing for a year… yeah, she’s not halal.

What is the Il Toro Woodfire Grill Dress Code?

Smart casual I’d say — well Drew said nah, no dress code. I wore jeans and a casual fricking lairy shirt and felt very comfortable.

Il Toro Woodfire Grill Reservations

Il Toro Woodfire Grill Reservations HERE

Il Toro Woodfire Grill Contact Details

• Telephone: 8259 1021
• eMail: [email protected]