Fico’s running a pasta pop-up at New Bahru until July 28 — with nothing over S$20

If the East Coast is too far a trek, Fico is coming to you. Chef-partner Mirko Febbrile’s beloved seaside Italian spot has set up a three-month pasta pop-up at New Bahru’s newly opened Factory Block — and it runs from April 28 to July 28, so you’ll have plenty of time to check this out.

A taste of Puglia, rooted in Singapore

For the uninitiated, Fico — meaning fig in Italian — is a Michelin Bib Gourmand-awarded restaurant tucked into East Coast Park. It’s built around the spirit of cucina povera — the southern Italian philosophy of doing more with less, where humble ingredients aren’t a limitation, but a creative starting point.

Since opening in 2023 as part of The Lo & Behold Group’s stable, it’s become something of a neighbourhood anchor for the East Coast crowd — the kind of place you go for honest, unfussy Italian food with a sea breeze on the side.

Febbrile, a Puglia native, has translated the warmth and communal spirit of his homeland into a restaurant that doesn’t take itself too seriously, even if the cooking very much does.

Now at New Bahru, Fico has taken up a kiosk residency for a season at the Factory Block (a newly opened wing), which houses a communal dining hall.

Its F&B neighbours in this new block include Sushiro, Kulon, Laifaba, and Orh Gao Peh Gao alongside retailers such as the Stacked Store, Veja, and the much-anticipated Japanese fashion label, Beams.

The pop-up is intentionally lean — a focused, city-friendly edit of Fico’s coastal Italian ethos, with a menu exclusive to this outpost. Think of it as the cucina povera philosophy distilled further into four handmade pasta dishes, each one a testament to why simplicity, done right, is its own kind of luxury.

Four fuss-free pastas

With nothing over S$20, it’s an easy task to rally a small group of friends and work through the entire menu. And so we did.

The cavatelli (S$16) is the most straightforward of the four — vegetarian-friendly, and built around San Marzano tomato and ricotta.

The small semolina shells do exactly what they’re designed to do, which is to trap the pulpy, juicy tomato bits so every bite carries that sweet, bright acidity. It may not be the most dramatic dish on the table, but it’s a solid, no-fuss option if you’re dropping in for a quick bite.

For something lighter, Fico is also serving linguine (S$18) — a pesto alla Genovese with prawns — which is a breath of fresh air. The cheese takes a backseat here, letting the basil do its thing — clean, fragrant, and present on both the palate and the nose.

The prawns are crunchy and plump, the way they should be.

If rich and savoury is more your speed, the remaining two will seal the deal. The bucatini alla gricia (S$16) — made with pecorino, pepper, and guanciale (pork jowl) — might read like a carbonara at first glance, but the distinction matters: No egg yolk here, which means the guanciale and pecorino get to command the full spotlight.

The result is a dish that’s deeply flavourful, with a pleasing hit of pepperiness cutting through the richness of every thick, creamy strand. It was, notably, the first to disappear from the table.

However, our top pick was the tagliatelle (S$18) — a hearty, no-apologies bowl of tender beef ragu blanketed in a heavy-handed helping of Parmigiano cheese. The beef is shredded so fine, it practically melts into the sauce; intensely savoury, with deep, earthy layers that linger long after the last bite.

If you arrive hungry, this is the one. Eat it hot, and don’t skip the stir — getting every strand properly coated makes all the difference.

Pop in before July 28

Four pastas, one kiosk, zero dishes over S$20: Fico’s pop-up at New Bahru is about as unpretentious as a Michelin-recognised restaurant can get, and that’s entirely the point.

It’s cucina povera in its most distilled form, with fewer moving parts and a better appreciation of each one.

For those who’ve long been meaning to make the trip to East Coast Park, consider this a well-timed nudge — and a pretty convincing preview of what awaits.

This was a hosted tasting.

For more ideas on what to eat, check out Hathaway Autograph, now open at the new hotel Varel in Selegie, and the work-friendly cafe Cafe Yasuragi.