Chef Mirko Febbrile of Fico to open new restaurant Somma at New Bahru in September

On the fourth floor of the achingly hip New Bahru, drills are buzzing, stone countertops are being polished, and dusty cardboard slabs protect the freshly laid travertine-and-marble flooring. When this bi-level space is finished, furnished, spruced and cleaned, it will open as Somma, Italian chef Mirko Febbrile’s second restaurant. His first, the casual masseria-style Fico, is still an East Coast Park hot spot.
Somma, which means “sum” in Italian, is a far more ambitious project. It comprises a fine-dining restaurant, a cocktail and pasta bar, and Somma Lab, a space for his research and development team where they also plan to share knowledge through classes on things like wine, pasta, fermentation and pastry.
As its name implies, Somma represents the sum of Febbrile’s journey so far. Nine years ago, the 33-year-old came to Singapore from his hometown of Bitonto, a comune in Puglia, to work for Il Lido Restaurants & Bars. He went on to earn a Michelin star for Italian restaurant Braci in 2017 where he was chef de cuisine.
Febbrile said Somma will express his creative exploration of modern Italian cuisine inspired by his Italian roots and global experiences. The latter include a stage at Noma, his wildly popular pasta pop-up at Chinatown Complex, and time spent travelling across Latin America experiencing the region’s cuisines. These will be evident in his dishes, which he hopes will convey simplicity, comfort and quality with a sense of quiet luxury.
“I think the ethos of our food is that it is simple and never gimmicky, but there’s a lot of complexity behind it. It will be Italian, but not as you know it,” he said. “As a young Italian, my experiences are cosmopolitan, so my inspirations from nature and artisanship will come through in a unique, modern way.
“The space will be full of textures like oak, ceramics and plush fabrics to convey a new perspective on what a fine dining experience can be. The service will be generous and intuitive, embracing comfort and simplicity.”
Set in a separate space a few steps from the restaurant is Somma’s Pasta Bar, where guests can dine on simple pasta dishes while sipping cocktails and wines from a playfully catalogued list.
Joining Febbrile at the front-of-house is director of operations Vincenzo Donatiello, formerly of the vaunted Piazza Duomo in Alba, Italy. Loris Caporizzi, late of Restaurante Borago, is Somma’s head of research and development. Jeanette Ow, the former pastry chef at Claudine, is Somma’s pastry director. Febbrile’s partners are the Lo and Behold Group, which is also behind Fico, New Bahru, and concepts like fine dining restaurant Odette and Tanjong Beach Club.
Somma is set to open on Sep 25 (Wed). Reservations open on Sep 10 (Tue) and will be announced on Somma’s Instagram page.