Massimo Bottura lends star power to pizza and pasta at Torno Subito

NEW RESTAURANT

Torno Subito

26 Dempsey Road, #01-02

Singapore 249686

Tel: 1800 304 6688

Open for lunch and dinner Tues to Sun: 12 pm to 3 pm; 6 pm to 10 pm

IS IT us, or is the Como group vying for top place in the “who can open the most celebrity-linked restaurants within six months” sweepstakes?

Since last September, they have opened the hyped-now-hmmm Cedric Grolet with its S$11 (dine-in) croissants; the “switch on the light can?” nightclub with beef – COTE Korean steakhouse; and now, Italian superstar chef Massimo Bottura’s Torno Subito outpost. In just half a year, the purveyor of designer lifestyles has opened more restaurants than Club21 holds end-of-season sales.

You can’t deny the stardust effect it’s had on the dining scene, though. And there’s been a lot of it lately. Seems like you can’t open a new restaurant now without some biggish name bringing his foreign-derived laurels here to rest on. 

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If we’re counting laurels, Bottura has more than anyone else who’s breezed through town. But there’s no hot air or ego inflating Torno Subito – just a breezy, warm welcome the moment you step into this jaunty, modern-Italian eatery in Dempsey village.

From behind the double doors of its utilitarian colonial barracks, an explosion of candy colours jumps out at you like you caught Ronald McDonald in a vandalism spree. It’s like Toys ‘R’ Us for grown-ups, but without the ball pit. 

There’s a life-sized stuffed lifeguard standing above the big circular bar where the chefs work. Think beach bar in the Italian Riviera of the 1960s – old-fashioned, kitschy and just la dolce vita.

You won’t see hide nor hair of Bottura himself, but there’s no need because the polished operation here speaks for itself. The setup, too, is designed for the comfort of diners, not to maximise profit. We’re not stuffed into undersized tables for two, but in a generous space for four. And the dining room is so well spaced out, you can gossip about the curious fashion of the diners in the next table without whispering.

The food doesn’t try to show off, but has just enough twists and turns to let you know this is Bottura’s style, while staying close to his Modena roots. There’s a chef’s menu at S$150, but we bypass that for the flexibility of a la carte. You also know how serious they are behind the whimsical facade when they give you an impressive list of Italian wines by region.

Right off the bat, you’re plied with substantial nibbles like a quick intro to traditional Italian snacks. There’s a tartlet of smoked cod cream, a bite-sized savoury baba filled with pumpkin cream, and papa al pomodoro – a kind of “porridge” of soaked bread, crushed tomatoes and ricotta cheese. And a bread platter that stars a squishable bouncy bun dotted with a roasted cherry tomato.

Familiar prosciutto and melon is turned into an unfamiliar combination of smoked hamachi and pressed melon (S$38), arranged around a zingy yoghurty sauce. Sounds good on paper, but somehow the tasteless melon doesn’t do justice to the idea.

While tagliatelle and ragu (S$45) doesn’t stretch the imagination, the wide, al dente noodles lovingly snuggled in a creamy sauce of chunky wagyu and tomatoes fills the heart. It’s got the essence of tomatoes without the acidity, heartiness of beef and slinky noodles working in perfect harmony.

With a fancy oven the size of a brewer’s vat, you know the pizzas aren’t on the menu as space fillers. You get a choice of classic or “evolution” flavours, but we hedge our bets with a classic-ish cacio e pere (S$34), which takes everything you like about cacio e pepe pasta and turns it into pizza topping – there’s plenty of melted cheese spiked with pepper and sweetened with slices of pear, surrounded by satisfyingly puffy edges ballooning around it. It’s not full of air pockets, but plenty of chewy layers that give it a heftier bite. Others may swear by the pizza at La Bottega Enoteca, but we’ll take this over the drive to Joo Chiat anytime.

Mains push the boundaries, but don’t cross them. Navigando (S$58), a solid piece of firm, milky-white cod poached in olive oil till it’s all silken-tender, is paired with an unusual lemony beetroot sauce supposedly inspired by the chef’s travels through Russia. It’s unfamiliar, but in a good way.

Thankfully, he returns to Italy in time to execute a tiramisu ( S$18) to remember. A sheet of chocolate is cracked to reveal layers of dreamy mascarpone, bitter coffee ice cream and soaked sponge fingers. It makes you fall in love with this dessert cliche all over again. 

But there’s equal joy to be had in tre cioccolati (S$18) where hot chocolate sauce melts a ring of chocolate surrounding sticky chocolate cake and salted caramel. Yes, it’s overwhelming, but in a warm-bear-hug kind of way.

You know why Torno Subito doesn’t miss a beat when you find out that chef Alessio Pirozzo hails from the Dubai flagship. It’s also the strongest of Como’s three new outlets – just focusing on the product and not on the celebrity hype around it. It also helps that there’s an opening team from Italy in place. 

Comfort and style with just a touch of zaniness gives Torno Subito a strong sense of identity that’s not in your face. To be able to pull it off without posturing or touting its pedigree is where the real star power lies.

Rating: 7