Tipsy Flamingo

The entire Tipsy Collective group has been a steady constant, particularly when we need an affordable night out. You might not know the F&B group colloquially, but they’ve brought us the likes of Lady Wu, Tipsy Penguin, and Takeshi Noodle Bar –  it’s all neon lights and happy hour beers here. While easy on the wallet, they don’t scrimp on quality: the bar grub and cocktail concoctions are spot on. 

Tipsy Flamingo, a casual bar centrally-located in Raffles City, follows the same ethos. While this joint originally made its mark on IG close to a year back – for its colourful 80s beach party decor – they’re now one to check out for its modern Filipino pop-up. They’re now collaborating with Chef Kurt Sombero, who’s spent years in the kitchen of Meatsmith Little India, where he first formed his repertoire for wood-firing and grill techniques. 

With his Filipino upbringing in mind, Sombero has brought his own heritage to Tipsy Flamingo for the months of March and April. And he does it with a finesse too. Traditional Filipino dishes like adobo and sisig get a revamp here – but not in a chi-chi way whatsoever, with familiar ingredients coming through strong.

It might’ve been the pork sisig and foie gras ($22) that we lapped up – it’s hard to resist chunks of foie – but other Filipino-inspired dishes deserve kudos too. You’ve got your adobo here, but instead of a savoury chicken stew, quail makes an unexpected appearance. It's thoroughly glazed with an adobo sauce, served with a side of both mash and shoestring fries. Otherwise, their bulalao ($58), a light soup made from beef shank and marrow, is certainly worth a try. 

Chef Sombero will be opening a new restaurant soon – Kubo, also a Filipino-inspired restaurant that’ll rely on wood-fired cooking.