Torno Subito is a whimsical, nostalgic Italian feast

Torno Subito at COMO Dempsey is a vibrant, flavourful journey through 1960s coastal Italy, where Massimo Bottura’s irreverent, nostalgia-soaked cuisine is pure gastronomic pleasure.

Singapore is hardly short on Italian restaurants — the city practically throngs with concepts ranging from casual pizza joints to fancy fine dining — but Torno Subito is the only one that dares to do it while dressing up as a pop-art fever dream of 1960s Rimini.

You’ll find it in the lush embrace of Dempsey Hill, opened by none other than renowned celebrity chef Massimo Bottura of the three-Michelin-starred Osteria Francescana. Here his Singapore outpost offers joyfully irreverent Italian cuisine that walks the fine line between nostalgia and invention.

And it’s not just the food that’s transportive.

A near full-sized replica Formula One racing car stands pride of place at its entrance, as though threatening to throttle and launch into the greenery up front. Inside, the restaurant’s red, white and blue interiors — meant to capture the essence of Italy’s coastal charm — is a lurid riot of colour, while the mannequin in vintage swimwear lounging atop its bar, complete with beach chair and umbrella, is worth a giggle or two.

Subtle it is not.

Think driving through the picturesque Imola countryside in a vintage race car during the 1960s for an idyllic beachside getaway at Ravenna, and you’d get an idea.

The nautical theme carries through to the food, a celebration of the cuisine from Italy’s Emilia-Romagna region. Just be warned this is not your nonna’s cucina, unless she’s gotten deep into her liquor cabinet and is now off for a racy beachside holiday with a newfound lover.

Here at Torno Subito, Executive Chef Alessio Pirozzi dishes out anything from Lingua — veal tongue grilled over charcoal fire drizzled with salsa verde and pickled mustard — to Chef Massimo’s signature Tagliatella of al-dente noodles tossed in a deeply savoury ragù of hand-chopped wagyu.

Other fun offerings include Minestra di Mare (think a love child between minestrone and ciopinno); Modena Ribs, featuring slow-cooked wagyu beef ribs livened up with cherry vinegar; and Maialino Croccante, where a roulade of roasted milk-fed suckling pig is cleverly served with peach compote as a sweet counterpoint.

A must-order? The Alta Marea, a selection of raw, house-cured and house-smoked seafood served on a kitschy catamaran-shaped platter that’s great for sharing. It’s absurd, fun, and even better, a joyful showcase of Emilia Romagna’s coastal bounty and curing expertise.

Otherwise one go all in and dive into the Riviera Tour Tasting Menu, an omakase-style six-course culinary experience as curated by Chef Alessio.

And while Torno Subito offers up a formidable Italian wine list, their Italian-inflected ‘Cocktails by the Coast’ creations here are no afterthought. The Pesto Sour, for example, is the kind of ludicrous idea — basil pesto in a sour — that shouldn’t work but does, all herbaceous zip and lime-soaked bite, while the fiery Sunburnt laced with chilli-spiked tequila and blood orange will sear your palate in the best possible way.

Come by during AperiTorno — their aperitivo ritual that runs from 5.30pm to 7.30pm Wednesdays to Fridays — when these cocktails are specially priced, and you’ll even get some complimentary bar snacks.

Playful while respectful of heritage, Torno Subito is Italian food that’s whimsical, winking, and unapologetically fun, tinged with a nostalgia for la dolce vita from an era long past; a celebrity chef’s gastronomic vision of a carefree Italy that ever only existed in daydreams, wild imaginations, and old Federico Fellini films.

Torno Subito

Address 26 Dempsey Rd, #01 02, Singapore 249686 (Google Maps link)
Opening Hours 12pm to 3pm and 5.30pm to 10pm Wednesday to Sunday; closed on Monday and Tuesday
Web www.tornosubitosg.com
Instagram @tornosubitosg
Facebook tornosubitosg
Reservations book here