In Singapore, where fine dining often leans toward spectacle, Somma takes a more intimate and personal route, evoking the atmosphere of Puglia. Chef Mirko Febbrile’s restaurant, located within the New Bahru complex, draws on Italian roots through a distinctly contemporary culinary language, translating memory, geography and technique into a tasting experience with a strong sense of identity.
Somma Brings Contemporary Puglia to the Heart of Singapore
Originally from Puglia and based in Singapore for more than a decade, Febbrile describes his cuisine as “a reflection on contemporary luxury through simplicity and comfort.” Even the restaurant’s name, Somma, points to that idea: the sum of collective choices, ingredients, craftsmanship and vision.
The space, designed by the London studio Nice Projects in the former library of the Nan Chiau school, avoids every predictable Mediterranean cue. Inside the luminous dining room, travertine, marble, leather, handmade Puglian ceramics by Vincenzo Del Monaco and textiles that reference the lace-making traditions of Southern Italy are all filtered through a sharply contemporary architectural sensibility. The experience begins at the entrance, where the open kitchen welcomes guests and turns the brigade’s work into an integral part of the narrative. Every table faces the team.
Solterra, the Tasting Menu Inspired by Agricultural Rhythms
The current tasting menu, Solterra, marks the beginning of a cycle dedicated to Puglia and its agricultural rhythms. The name combines sun and earth, two coordinates essential to the region. Febbrile describes it as a return to a cuisine built on intention, respect for time and an absence of waste. Available in four-, six- or eight-course formats, the menu moves through the landscapes and rituals of Southern Italy.
It opens with Dry Light, a clear corn broth that immediately establishes the restaurant’s vocabulary. The corn is used in its entirety — kernels, husks, grilled elements and portions slowly cooked in butter, left to infuse overnight before being finished with Coratina olive oil produced by the chef’s family. It is a dish that appears minimal, but is built on restraint and concentration. With Thistle, spring arrives through mammole artichokes, a reinterpretation of carciofi fritti with wholegrain batter, burnt lemon and house-aged perch lardo matured for two weeks. More conceptual, Ancient Grains returns to the foundations of Puglian cooking with burnt wheat, carob and friar’s beard. The gesture recalls a time when farmers gathered what remained after the harvest, with an unmistakable nod to scarpetta. The relationship with the sea emerges in Two Seas, named after Puglia’s position between the Adriatic and Ionian coasts. Blue lobster and razor clams meet koji, concentrated shellfish broth and a garum made from lobster heads.
Pasta Throughout Somma’s Tasting Menu
Pasta, inevitably, takes centre stage. Rural Cooking looks to “cucina povera”, with ditali pasta cooked in a broth made from Parmigiano whey, burnt honey and eggplant skins, while the eggplant itself is wrapped in fig leaves and cooked beneath clay. More dramatic is Plains, one of the signature dishes of the longer tasting menu: spaghettone made from Khorasan wheat, cooked in a red carrot reduction in which twenty kilograms of vegetables are transformed into a single kilogram of sauce. Alongside come mantis shrimp, sea snails, Ossetra caviar and an emulsion built from clam water. The savoury progression culminates in Embers, milk- fed lamb cooked slowly over fire and served to be shared by hand. It is perhaps the dish that best captures the chef’s philosophy in direct, convivial and essential form.
Desserts and Pairings Complete the Story of Puglia
The dessert chapter, led by pastry director Jeannette Ow, maintains the same discipline. Strawberries, Amalfi lemon, aloe vera and elderflower create a luminous transition before Late Sun, a single-origin chocolate crêpe soufflé inspired by the long evenings of Southern Italy. Also notable is Botanica, the non- alcoholic pairing built around botanicals, fermentation and house infusions, designed to accompany the menu with structure and acidity without relying on alcohol. Through the interplay between food and drinks, Somma tells the story of Puglia in Singapore, using geography as liquid material while speaking an international language without ever losing its unmistakable accent.
The article first appeared on Coqtail – for fine drinkers. Order your copy here
Images courtesy Somma
