Massimo Bottura, the Italian-born culinary force behind three-Michelin-starred Osteria Francescana in Modena, Italy, has made his debut in Singapore with Torno Subito in partnership with the Como Group.
Located at lifestyle enclave Como Dempsey, the casual restaurant is a more laid-back, convivial style of Italian dining than his Modena flagship, pairing flavours from his home region of Emilia-Romagna with a nostalgia-tinged decor tinged calling back to ’60s-era Italy.
This restaurant marks Bottura’s first outing to Asia, after he first fronted this culinary concept back in 2019 at the W Hotel in The Palm, Dubai.
Torno Subito, meaning “I’ll be right back” in colloquial Italian, comfortably seats up to 110 in a former British army barracks done up to resemble an Adriatic seaside. Think rattan chairs on glossy monochrome floor tiles, set against a teal beach-themed bar – complete with floatie, mannequin lifeguard and lamps hewn from Campari soda bottles – and a pastel-hued oven.
The grub on offer is equally whimsical, though deftly prepared under the watchful gaze of executive chef Alessio Pirozzi, who previously led Dubai’s Torno Subito to a Michelin star in 2022 and 2023.
The seven-course tasting menu, irreverently named Ciao Singapore!, serves up the restaurant’s greatest and most humorously named hits. These range from the Torno Subito signature It’s Not Pasta – a reinvention of cold Tagliatelle pasta in the form of a cuttlefish and bell pepper stew – to the aptly titled I Love Pizza, featuring a classic Margherita hewn from stone-milled Petra flour, said to give the pie a light, aromatic crust with a distinct textural heft.
Sweet endings come in the form of a Tiramisubito, where the iconic Italian tiramisu is tucked away in an espresso-infused chocolate shell demanding to be cracked open by an eager diner.
All this, of course, comes together with a beverage programme heavy on Italian terroir, whether that be aperitivo classics given whimsical new life or some of Italy’s brightest sparkling wine, hailing from the hills of Modena.
Torno Subito is at 26 Dempsey Road, #01-02, Singapore 249686. For reservations, click here.
