Cover Chef Massimo Bottura
Chef Massimo Bottura
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The highly anticipated restaurant slated to open in early 2024 held an exclusive pop-up, serving Italian favourites from its one-Michelin-starred Dubai flagship
Culinary circles were left buzzing when news broke that Massimo Bottura was planning a new Singapore restaurant. Now, it’s official: Torno Subito will open at Como Dempsey in early 2024, with the same menu as its flagship at The Palm Jumeirah in Dubai, known for presenting classic Italian flavours tinged with playfulness and revisionist techniques.
With numerous accolades under Bottura’s belt—including three Michelin stars for Osteria Francescana, a two-time World’s Best Restaurant winner, as well as one Michelin star for Torno Subito—the arrival of the Singapore outpost is highly anticipated. Torno Subito Dubai head chef Alessio Pirozzo was in Singapore recently for an exclusive pop-up at Como Cuisine, where he offered a sneak peek into the flavours we can expect come early 2024. Here’s a look at the exquisite meal that was served.
Don’t miss: Celebrity chef Massimo Bottura to open new restaurant Torno Subito at Como Dempsey
Above Crudo di mare at Torno Subito
Crudo di mare at Torno Subito
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We often think of fresh tomato sauce when we think of classic Italian food, so it’s fitting that the first appetiser was a bread crumble, made with day-old bread soaked in tomato sauce and topped with Parmigiano cheese foam—the perfect start to an Italian meal with traditional flavour combinations. Also present was a cuttlefish salad to cut through the richness, with cuttlefish chilled and cut so thinly it resembled tagliatelle, then dressed in sesame oil, tomato powder, and pesto.
There were innovative touches too, such as the ricciola e melone, a Torno Subito antipasti which creatively departs from tradition. Eschewing the typical prosciutto and melon, Bottura opts for smoked amberjack to serve with compressed melons—a choice that seamlessly pairs the salty, smoky flavours of the amberjack with the sweetness of the melons. Toppings of Sorrento lemon jelly and olive oil pearls add further dimensions to the dish. Carrying on with raw meat was the duo di manzo, which featured a Japanese A3 beef roll served with dijon mustard, marinated egg yolk gel, and topped with crisped white truffle shavings for an extra umami boost.
Many look towards pasta when craving Italian food, and the pasta offerings here won’t disappoint. The stunning cavatello riviera made with handmade cavatelli pasta held the perfect al dente bite amidst a rich red bell pepper sauce with smoked paprika, and served with plump carabineros prawns. The standout, however, ended up being the palate cleanser, a Manodori extra virgin olive oil sorbet with pomegranate sauce and bread crumble. Nothing beats high quality olive oil, and the resulting sorbet was fresh, earthy, and fruity, elevated with a dash of salt and the complex sweetness of pomegranate.
Don’t miss out on the “Tiramisubito!”, a signature mainstay on the Torno Subito menu. A deconstructed tiramisu with all the essential ingredients—coffee-soaked biscuits, mascarpone, and cacao–it is served with a pristine chocolate tuile dusted in gold. To indulge, one needs to crack it open with a spoon in an Instagram-worthy moment before scooping out the light yet decadent tiramisu within.
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Ethan Kan was Tatler Singapore’s dining writer.
