Mirko Febbrile grew up in Puglia, in the south of Italy, before building his career in Singapore, where he became chef de cuisine at Braci, a restaurant that earned a Michelin star under his cooking before it later closed. He struck out on his own with Fico, a beachside Italian restaurant built around Puglian cuisine, alongside a pasta pop up in Chinatown Complex that introduced his cooking to a very different crowd than a tasting menu usually reaches.
His latest project, Somma, opened September 25, 2024 inside New Bahru on Kim Yam Road, in what used to be the library of Nan Chiau Girls High School. The space runs on two levels and two very different rhythms. Upstairs is a 36 seat fine dining room built around a six course tasting menu priced at 258 Singapore dollars, focused on simplicity and sustainable ingredients. Downstairs is a walk in pasta and cocktail bar, no reservation required, built for guests who want Febbrile's cooking without committing to a full evening.
Getting there took 18 months of research, including repeated trips back to Italy and Puglia to revisit the flavors he grew up with before deciding how to translate them for Singapore. Drawing from different parts of my life in Puglia and experiences around the world, he has said, Somma will deliver familiar yet unexpected flavours. The space includes a cooking research lab and a cooking school running classes in pasta making, fermentation, and pastry, alongside cast concrete tables and a 230 piece ceramic feature wall made with Italian artists.
Febbrile is backed by a team with its own serious pedigree. Vincenzo Donatiello, director of operations, previously managed the three Michelin starred Piazza Duomo in Alba, while Jeanette Ow, director of pastry, joins from Claudine. The whole project sits under Lo & Behold Group, the homegrown hospitality company behind much of New Bahru itself. For a chef who built his reputation on a single tasting menu, Somma is Febbrile betting that the same kitchen can serve two completely different kinds of night.