Finally Dined at Fico – But Was It Worth It?

Hey zesties! 🍋

Recently, my partner and I dined at Fico Masseria, a casual Italian restaurant along East Coast Park.

We tried making a reservation last year, but it was always fully booked. The waitlist for this place is also very long and may stretch up to 2 months. We gave up on it, and a year later, here we are!

We dined here yesterday for our 7th anniversary celebration. I thought I’d do a review of this place as well.

📍Location

1300 East Coast Parkway, East Coast Park Area F, Singapore 468964. The nearest carpark is Carpark F2, where free parking is available.

📍Ambience

You may opt for outdoor alfresco seating like I did and enjoy the sea breeze and view, or choose to sit indoors with air-conditioning. The place is gorgeous and brightly lit with natural sunlight, offering plenty of aesthetic photo opportunities in every corner.

📍Service

The service is impeccable. The wait staff is very attentive, so you don't have to prompt them. They seemed ever-ready and efficient. You can also ask them for recommendations. The staff told us that we might have over-ordered and suggested removing the mains.

📍Food

Honestly, the food was disappointing. We’ve tasted better Italian food elsewhere. However, it is still worth a try! We will not return here for the food, but we would definitely come back for coffee, desserts, and mainly the vibes!

This is what we ordered:

🍕 Focaccina - San Marzano Tomatoes ($24)

We started off with the appetizer. This was the best thing we ordered off the menu! The pizza is made of focaccia bread, topped with mozarella, tomatoes and extra virgin olive oil. The dough is thick, yet soft, airy, and light. We had 4 slices each, and it was still easy on our stomachs.

🍤 Fried Shrimps ($18)

We loved this one as well! The shrimp was tasty on its own. The sauce is made out of lovage salsa verde, so if you hate celery, you may want to skip this.

🍝 Mafaldine ($30)

Heard so many great reviews about this pasta, so we gave it a try. The portion was generous, and it was very flavorful! You also get a bit of a crunchy texture from the almonds. Definitely comfort food for all. However, after a while, everything just tasted very flat to me, so I'm not too sure if I actually enjoyed it.

🌱 Ravioli ($29)

The portion is small for this one and a tad too salty for our liking. I can't remember what’s inside this dish. It also seemed to be new on their menu, replacing the Denti Del Drago pasta.

✨ Desserts ($15) - You may choose any 2 from the dessert menu. We had the Burrata Gelato & Honey Panna Cotta.

🍨 Burrata Gelato

Definitely an acquired taste and takes a while to appreciate. The gelato is served with extra virgin olive oil, strawberry jam, and tomato jam. Not sure if I actually like it, but it’s very interesting!

🍮 Honey Panna Cotta

This was a safe choice for us. Panna cotta can never go wrong. The mango flavor was very rich, and the chili gave a tanginess to the overall flavor. Loved it!

Not pictured here are the 2 glasses of wine, water, iced white, and iced black.

💧Water ($3 per pax)

They don’t serve complimentary water here. You may choose between still or sparkling.

☕️ Coffee (Iced White $8, Iced Black $7)

Don’t expect a lot from their coffee as they are not a coffee place. It was raining, and we just wanted something to drink while waiting for the rain to stop. The iced white and iced black tasted average.

🍷 Red Wine ($32 per glass)

The server told us that the red wine we ordered is the cheapest one they have, but the taste was really not bad!

🤔 Final Thoughts

The total bill came to $241 inclusive of service charge, which felt a little steep given the overall experience. While the food didn't meet our expectations, the ambiance and service made up for it. We wouldn’t return for a full meal, but we’d definitely come back for coffee, desserts, and the overall vibes when we're in the area.

#foodreview #foodie #foodsg #ficodining #fico #eastcoastpark #eastsidebestside #wheretoeatsg