Kubbeh at the price of a restaurant meal: We tested the frozen kubbeh of Robi Michael
Robi Michael, a chef and culinary content creator, launched a line of frozen kubbeh together with the brand "Kuba HaBayit". The series includes beet kubbeh filled with hashweh and hamusta kubbeh filled with siska. Each package includes a soup recipe. We checked how it turns out in the pot, how much it costs relative to competitors in the market, and whether it is worth your money.
As in the restaurant sector, the delicatessen field in Israel is expanding. In recent years, many delis have opened here offering ready-made food that only needs to be heated and served. Alongside saving precious time in the kitchen, some of them offer dishes that only grandmothers used to make—complex recipes requiring time and patience that most of us simply do not have. This is truly help for the soul.
Kubbeh is exactly such a dish: an ultimate home-cooked meal that requires a lot of work, traditionally rolled by hand. Therefore, we were happy to discover the new line of kubbeh by Robi Michael, a chef and prominent food influencer, created in collaboration with the brand "Kuba HaBayit". It consists of two types of ready-made frozen kubbeh: round and flat kubbeh filled with siska meat (pulled meat) for hamusta soup, and round matfunia kubbeh filled with hashweh (ground beef) for beet soup.
The Taste Test
After managing to get our hands on two bags (the product is not found in all supermarket chains), we rushed to prepare the soup. We used chicken stock as a base and replaced the chard with spinach in the hamusta soup. It is important to note that both the soup and the kubbeh required more cooking time than indicated on the package: the beet soup recipe suggests 20–30 minutes, but it actually needed an additional 10 minutes, while the kubbeh needed 5 extra minutes inside the soup. The optimal cooking time is likely 13–15 minutes, not 8.
The kubbeh have a thin, springy semolina shell and came out perfect and smooth, with homemade flavors and non-aggressive seasoning. They are less reminiscent of the type found in Jerusalem "patiliya" (pot) restaurants and closer to the kubbeh grandmothers make at home. The filling was generous and the texture excellent. Eight people tasted the soups, and everyone liked them without a shred of criticism.
The Price Question
This is not a cheap product: 99 shekels for an 800-gram bag in supermarkets, 109 shekels on Wolt. Each bag contains exactly 20 balls. To get them delivered from "Naama" delis, you need a minimum order of 370 shekels.
How does the price compare to similar products? In supermarket chains, you can find frozen kubbeh ranging from 23.90 to 67 shekels per kilo. "Shloshet HaOfim" offers a kilo for 19.90 shekels, and at Rami Levy, the price drops to 11.90 shekels. In delis, prices are higher: at "Tena Deli," beet kubbeh soup costs 86 shekels for 800 grams; at "Soulica," 6 units with soup cost 89 shekels; and at "Delicatessen," a portion of 4 units with soup is 64 shekels.
Robi Michael is certainly not the first influencer to launch an expensive product for fans. We all remember Daniel Amit's chocolate cake, which sparked a consumer storm. This did not prevent the public from ordering it, nor Amit from launching another cake. Bottom line: compared to other frozen products, Robi Michael's kubbeh is definitely more expensive. However, one bag is enough for a huge pot of soup for the whole family and at least two meals, and the quality is at a very high level. As always, everyone will decide based on their own budget.
