Fico – Beautiful Italian Restaurant at East Coast Park with unique vegetarian options

Imagine an Italian symphony playing by the seaside with a charming view as the backdrop – and that’s Fico for you! Situated in East Coast Park in Singapore, the restaurant is spread across a sprawling space with white pathways, floral decor and has an ambiance that depicts a community vibe. Helmed by Chef Mirko Febrille, the cuisine goes back to his Pugliese roots, where sharing plates is a tradition.

Fico has breezy exterior seating, and the cozy interior seating filled with tastefully sourced wooden furniture. Since I wanted to experience the Mediterranean feel, I opted for the outdoor seating and was transported to Europe. If you are sensitive to slightly humid weather, then please opt to sit inside.

I was extremely happy to see the menu had unique Italian vegetarian food offerings, as opposed to the standard pizzas and pastas. If you go as a larger group, then there are sharing menu options too.

Bursting with the freshness of Mediterranean flavours, the orange and fennel salad was juicy and aromatic. The fennel garnish along with the hazelnut that provided crunch made this a well-balanced dish. The colour contrast between the fennel and orange was perfect on the plate. This is possibly one of the best Italian salads that I have tried and hence I would highly recommend this item.

This plate is a fantastic celebration of simple and pure ingredients that stand out by themselves. The fresh texture of burrata cheese contrasting with the softly wilting later of escaroles (a leafy green vegetable that is part of chicory plant species) made this dish to be a tasteful delight.

The Focaccina is mentioned to be a love-child between focaccia and pizza. Its made from 80% semolina dough. The 8″ is the perfect combination of lightness and crunch without being too heavy. The Acquaviva Focaccina is made up of goat milk blue cheese, flor di latte, fried sage, sulla honey, and topped off with red onions. Usually, I find blue cheese to be quite strong in taste and hence I don’t order it. This dish turned out to be a refreshing departure since the sage and honey helped in cutting the strength of the blue cheese and made the plate quite enjoyable.

At Fico, for the dessert course, they offer a choice of two desserts at $15. The most interesting dessert was definitely the Burrata Gelato. The gelato was savory from the cheese and the sweetness was from the strawberry and tomato jam. This was an instant thumbs up for me and I’d definitely recommend you to try this dessert.

The piped cannoli was quite crispy and light in texture and filled with a luscious ricotta and pistachio filling. Quite a treat for sure!

Fico is definitely suited if you want to get the feel of being transported away from Singapore. Most of the dishes ordered a-la-carte can be shared by two persons. The drinks (alcoholic/non-alcoholic) are also extremely refreshing. The overall spend would be around S$100-S$150 for a three-course meal with drinks for 2 pax. The customer service was prompt and attentive, irrespective of where you were seated in the restaurant. Please ensure you make a reservation in advance.

For tasting South Italian vegetarian dishes with fresh ingredients, for celebrating special occasions by the beach, for an awesome ambiance and for prompt customer service, visiting Fico is definitely recommended.