Fico, the Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurant that brought a taste of Puglia to East Coast Park, has opened a second outlet at Tanjong Beach Club in Sentosa. The original restaurant opened in 2023 and earned its Bib Gourmand within a year, an accolade it has kept since. But this is no carbon copy. The Sentosa outpost is breezier, with a lighter menu that looks beyond Puglia to the wider Italian coast. “Where I’m from, the sun is an ingredient,” says chef-partner Mirko Febbrile, who hails from the southern Italian region. At the beach club, he adds, the sea and the setting get a say in what lands on the plate, and in how diners spend their day.
What to eat
The cooking stays true to cucina povera, the Italian tradition of turning humble ingredients into honest, generous dishes made for sharing. Familiar favourites sit alongside new creations for the second outlet.
At the centre of the table is the Focaccina, Fico’s own hybrid of focaccia and pizza. It is made with semola and Tipo 1 flour from mills in Puglia, which give it a light, crunchy base with a grainy fragrance. Exclusive to Sentosa is the Pesto and Mortadella Focaccina ($25), layered with stracciatella and pistachios.
Fresh, handmade pasta remains a cornerstone. The Paccheri ($42), best shared between two, recalls the seafood pastas of Sunday lunches and summer holidays on the Adriatic coast, with clams, squid and prawns in a heritage tomato sauce enriched with lobster bisque. The Pappardelle ($32) comes with a hearty three-meat ragรน of beef, lamb and pork.
Diners who would rather stay on the sand can order from a beach menu without leaving their daybeds. Options include Burrata di Puglia ($24) with San Marzano tomatoes, a tomato and buffalo mozzarella Focaccina ($26), charcoal-grilled octopus ($38), linguine vongole ($34) and tuna tartare ($26).
Cooking over fire
The seaside location has also steered Fico towards cooking with fire. Exclusive to this outlet is a 2m-tall charcoal barbecue dome, which wraps heat, smoke and moisture around the food to char the outside while keeping the inside juicy. The approach is distinctly Puglian: good produce needs little more than olive oil, herbs and lemon before it meets the flame.
The showpiece is the Seafood Platter ($108 for a half, $198 for a whole), a sharing spread of squid, scallops, octopus, prawns and lobster cooked over charcoal. The Catch of the Day ($42) features the freshest fish available, dry-aged in-house and grilled whole with Italian herbs.
Something sweet, something to sip
Desserts by pastry director Jeanette Ow put a playful spin on Italian comforts. The Coconut Panna Cotta ($18) gets a tropical lift from pineapple, mango and chilli. The Hazelnut Bignรจ ($18), filled with Nutella, dark chocolate and house-made Piedmont hazelnut paste, is a nostalgic nod to the pastries Mr Febbrile took to school while working at a pastry shop. The signature tiramisu ($18) is served tableside.
Italian wines anchor the drinks list, alongside cocktails built for lazy afternoons. The Berry Spritzed ($25) mixes blueberry Aperol, thyme, Prosecco and soda, while the Sicilian Grove ($25) pairs vodka with blood orange, lime and grapefruit soda.
The space
Designed by Nice Projects, the 130-seat space shares the warm, relaxed look of the East Coast Park flagship, taking its cues from the masserie, or traditional farmhouses, of Puglia. Earthy tones and natural materials flow from the main dining room to an open-air poolside terrace and patio.
Details nod to both Puglia and Singapore. Decorative lights by Italian lighting house Parisi 1876 frame the floor-to-ceiling windows, while the tableware includes ceramics from an 18th-generation family workshop in Grottaglie. The dining tables were crafted by home-grown woodworkers Roger&Sons from felled local trees.
In keeping with Fico’s philosophy of living better, not faster, a long lunch here can easily drift into an afternoon by the water, a sunset aperitivo and dinner.
Fico at Tanjong Beach Club
Tanjong Beach Club, 120 Tanjong Beach Walk
Singapore 098942
Tel: +65 9750 5323
Opening Hours (from 12 Oct):
Mon – Fri: 4pm – 10pm
Sat – Sun: 12pm – 10pm (last seating: 8pm)
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