Food Review: Fico At East Coast Park | Beautiful Casual Italian Restaurant In Singapore By Chef Mirko Febbrile And The Lo & Behold Group

Posted on May 20, 2023 by theRantingPanda in Food

The Place One of the most exciting new restaurant openings in Singapore this year, I made an advanced reservation for my meal at Fico, a new Italian restaurant located in East Coast Park helmed by Chef-partner Mirko Febbrile (previously the head chef of One Michelin Star Braci) in partnership with The Lo & Behold Group. The best part about Fico’s location is the sea view of one of the most charming parks in Singapore.

You get breezy outdoor seats and a beautiful indoor dining space which spots white and earthy colour tones. The indoor communal table reflects the dining philosophy at Fico – sharing plates, which is very much the embodiment of Italian cuisine.

There is definitely much thought being put into the design of the space, from the specially imported lights and ceramic plates from Puglia, to the dining tables made from felled tree logs by local furniture maker Roger&Sons.

The seating capacity of the outdoor space is larger than the indoor seats, so do request for indoor dining if you are not accustomed to Singapore’s weather. That said, I like the white ceiling cloth of the outdoor dining space which frames up the sea view quite perfectly, almost like a Mediterranean setting which is quite unlike anywhere else in Singapore.

I really love the indoor interior as well, which feels very cosy and I do love everything wood, which includes that wooden dining table.

The Food Chef Mirko hails from Puglia, Italy, and the menu at Fico is seasonal and designed with sharing dishes in mind – think terrines, handmade pastas and their signature Focaccina. Ingredients such as grains, cheese, olive oil and seafood are sourced directly from Puglia, a first in Singapore.

In terms of beverages, you get a comprehensive list of Italian wines, along with cocktail options as well. Had both a White and Red wines from the Puglia region for dinner, and my dining partners were all praises for the wine selection here!

For a start, the Focaccina is a must order. It comes with three flavours to choose and I managed to try both the Piennolo Giallo Tomatoes (S$22) and the San Marzano Tomatoes (S$22). Regardless of which flavour you choose, the crust and texture of the 9” Focaccia-Pizza is amazing.

The 80% Semola dough of the focaccia is airy and holds up the ingredients very well. I love the fresh flavours of the ingredients, where my favourite of the two I tried is the San Marzano Tomatoes which is topped with bufala mozzarella, basil and evoo.

Comparatively, the Piennolo Giallo Tomatoes spots a heavier flavour as it is topped with gulf anchovies, baked black olives, capers and oregano.

For small plates, I highly recommend the Cardoncelli Mushrooms (S$21). While mushroom dish sounds ordinary, this is a type of wild mushroom from Italy and it is very fleshy and firm in texture. The mushroom is first grilled then baked, so you get that bit of charred texture as well which adds to the aroma of it. Lovely.

Moving on to pastas, it is an interesting yet concise selection where my table was tempted to try every single one. The Orecchiette (S$24) is a combination of cime di rapa, anchovies and evoo where you can expect an al dente texture where the sauce here has a slight tinge of spice, which makes the pasta even more appetising for me.

The Denti Del Drago (S$25) with white ragu is a mixed bag on the table as the sauce here contains ricotta cheese which could be a tad overpowering for some. That said, go for this if you love that bit of cheese with your pasta which I personally found it to be quite interesting,

The Burnt Wheat Balanzoni (S$23) with aubergine, cacioricotta, brown butter and sage should work for you if you love your little “dumplings”. First time having Balanzoni, reminding us of the local Singapore wantons!

My favourite of the lot though, is the Mafaldine (S$30). I like this Mafaldine pasta for its robust flavour and you get that bit of nice crunchy texture from the bits of almond nuts. Ossobuco essentially is braised beef shank and the minced meat here is especially good, braised with primitivo di Puglia (a type of red wine from Puglia).

For mains, I tried the Grilled Pork Collar (S$38) with green asparagus, colatura and parmigiano. Beautiful pink hue of the pork, tender in flavour, and it goes really well with that mix of colatura and parmigiano creamy white sauce.

Save space for dessert which is presented in a form of a daily dessert trolley. It is a smart way to showcase the dessert selections to diners since humans are naturally visual creatures. True enough, my table almost ordered every type of dessert on the trolley. Almost.

Expect tarts and pies, where Choice Of Two is at S$14 while it is additional S$5 for every additional dessert. Every dessert I tried is worth ordering, though my top picks are the crispy Cannoli with ricotta & pistachios and the richly delicious Souffle Tart with 70% dark chocolate and sea salt.

Interesting options also include the Burrata Gelato with strawberry & tomato jam & Evoo; the rich Chocolate Sorbet with P125 Guanaja; and the Apple Torta with golden apple & cinnamon. Get everything to try if your table has space.

Rants The outdoor seats can get uncomfortable in the unforgiving weather of Singapore. Probably more fans and coolers will be needed for diners to enjoy the space.

Will I Return Again? Fico is a breath of fresh air to East Coast Park and is easily one of the best new restaurants I have tried this year so far. I love the concept of good Italian food at accessible prices, and also the theme of being focused on a particular region of Italy, Puglia in this instance for Fico. The location and space are nothing like any other restaurants in Singapore and for this reason along with the good food, this is a new destination dining for me.