Longtime Singapore-based restaurateur Beppe de Vito: ‘We could have done better in all our projects’

Longtime restaurateur Beppe de Vito has spent almost 40 years in F&B, 29 of them in Singapore. His il Lido group of restaurants – established in 2006 – now encompasses four venues: Sospiri (more on that later), Amo, Southbridge (a rooftop oyster bar along Boat Quay) and the upcoming Baia, a Mediterranean-inspired rooftop cocktail bar and lounge at the Esplanade Mall.
He is also a partner of l’WA Group, a joint venture with chef Daniele Sperindio. Together they run the Tuscan-style contemporary steakhouse Gemma and the one-Michelin-starred Art di Daniele Sperindio, both of which are housed in the National Gallery Singapore. And both of which will have their leases expire in November. Art will likely re-emerge in another location while Gemma’s fate is undecided. But for now, all energy is focused on Baia.
Despite being a heavy-hitter in Singapore’s F&B scene, especially when it comes to Italian-inspired concepts, de Vito shies away from being called influential. “I wouldn’t go so far as saying that I have influenced the Italian dining scene,” he said. “What I’ve always tried to do is maintain world-class standards. I came from a five-star hotel background, and when I came to Singapore, I came to open a world-renowned Italian restaurant chain.
“So it’s always been about elevating Italian dining concepts, just not to the point of stuffiness. I always want to keep it nice and vibrant and exciting. And every concept that we’ve done, we’ve tried to be a little different, to create its own identity.”
Downplaying his achievements, de Vito says that he doesn’t consider himself very successful. “We could have done better in all our projects,” he explained, pointing to ill-fated projects such as &SONS, a Venetian-style aperitivo bar in China Square Central.
“We were hoping to create a destination, because it was just across from Club Street. But sometimes it doesn’t work if you’re on the wrong side of the street. We also did something at the airport – il Lido Tapas Bar – but that was a disaster as well.” However, he maintains that he takes pride in all his ventures, regardless of their success rate
NEW BEGINNINGS
Sometimes life takes unexpected turns. A chance encounter, a random event, or a fleeting moment of serendipity can cause one to shift courses in ways one never imagined. For de Vito, Sospiri – a new Italian dining concept in the heart of Singapore’s CBD – was birthed thanks to a series of serendipitous events.
First, de Vito’s other restaurant, Amo in Hong Kong Street, was due to vacate its premises because the landlord wanted to refurbish the shophouse unit. So, he sought a new location for Amo and chanced upon a spacious unit in the newly built IOI Central Boulevard Towers. The new space was going to be “Amo Downtown”.
But then Amo’s landlord decided to postpone the refurbishment, and the popular haunt was allowed to stay on for another two years. Around the same time, the lease for Braci, de Vito’s one-Michelin-starred venue in Boat Quay, came to an end. Head chef Matteo Ponti had planned on packing his bags and leaving Singapore.
Instead, de Vito convinced him to stay on and try his hand at something far removed from the experimental, tasting menu-led format of Braci – a casual dining, trattoria-style concept that would eventually inform Sospiri’s direction.
“It was an easy decision,” said de Vito. On whether Braci will resurface in another location, he shared: “If the right place comes along, we will do it. But for now, we moved the whole team [from Braci] to run Sospiri instead.”
The 128-seater restaurant, perched on the seventh storey of IOI, is blessed with a double-volume interior and a bank of floor-to-ceiling windows, allowing natural light to flood the space. That, and the panorama of Marina Bay. Complementing the restaurant proper is a 60-seater alfresco bar and 14-seater private dining room – both quintessential elements for a dining venue that’s smack in the middle of the CBD, where business lunches and after-hours networking affairs are a daily affair.
The name Sospiri is derived from small, cream-filled Italian sponge cakes topped with a sugary glaze. For de Vito, they bring back memories of his childhood in Puglia, Italy. “If you were visiting your grandma or your aunties, you’d stop by a pastry shop in town and buy a dozen of those to bring over,” he reminisced.
Sospiri, which opened in July 2024, is an ode to de Vito’s southern Italian heritage, even though he trained as a chef in the country’s north. The food can be described as simple, almost rustic, with a heavy emphasis on seafood, grilled meats, pasta and of course, a dizzying array of sweet treats. “I wouldn’t say it’s traditional food, but it’s authentic, you know, the kind of experience you get if you travel to Puglia,” he explained.
KEEPING PRICES ACCESSIBLE
Sospiri’s approachability is an about-turn from the rigour of Braci. “What we’re trying to do is liberate people from degustation menus or fixed menus where there are limited choices to be made. We had to create something that will make people want to come here every week, not just to try it once,” de Vito said.
The interior design, with its vibrant splashes of lilac and ochre, is meant to recreate the atmosphere found in private members’ clubs. “You know, those private clubs, usually they’re really well designed and beautiful, and the restaurant bill is subsidised because members pay monthly fees.”
De Vito jokes that his idea is to “take back” customers from those clubs. One of the ways he’s doing so is by making it more affordable, to encourage repeat customers. He rationalises that high prices translate to venues becoming occasion restaurants, where diners go to celebrate special occasions. “We didn’t want that,” he said.
Ergo, antipasti (or appetisers) are priced between S$18 and S$28, while pastas range between S$25 and S$35. Fish and meat dishes come in at around S$35 to S$48, while desserts cost S$15 to S$18. To entice the business lunch crowd, weekday set lunches are priced at S$38++ for three courses. Meanwhile, 4-course set dinners cost S$78++ and 5-course versions are S$88++.
How de Vito manages to keep prices down is by using high – but not ultra-high – quality ingredients in the menu. For instance, to price his main courses below S$50, he sidestepped top-grade wagyu, instead opting for wagyu “that’s good enough”. Picchiapo di Guancia ($38) features wagyu cheek with truffled Roman gnocchi, while Tagliata di Manzo ($42) is a dish of grilled wagyu sirloin steak served with wild mugnuli (a type of broccoli) and truffle jus.
His fish dishes feature Sardinian seabass, swordfish, seabream and octopus. “There are very expensive fishes, but we try to avoid those,” he explained. And then, instead of lamb chops, the dish Abbacchio alla Griglia (S$38) showcases lamb T-bone chops, which he admits are an unusual cut, “but actually, the top part is similar in flavour to the lamb chop”.
Being a large operation – Sospiri turns over 300 covers a day or 9,000 covers a month (it’s open seven days a week) – also gives de Vito more leverage when negotiating prices with suppliers. “By having the right pricing, people are more relaxed. They tend to concentrate on enjoying the food, rather than feeling the pinch before they even taste it.
“If you’re paying S$100 for a piece of meat, before it even arrives at your table, you start analysing everything about it, wondering if every bite you take is really worth it. Whereas with a fairly priced item, people tend to chill out more,” he rationalised.
BRINGING A SLICE OF THE MEDITERRANEAN TO THE ESPLANADE MALLWith its enviable position atop the Esplanade Mall – boasting views across Marina Bay and sunsets between the domes – Baia is set to become Singapore’s hottest new destination bar. It’s named after an ancient Roman city that had a reputation of being the Las Vegas of the Roman Empire. “Baia is giving me headaches… a lot of headaches,” de Vito admitted. “But once it’s ready, it’s going to be fantastic.”
The cocktail bar, which has indoor and outdoor areas, boasts 5,000 sq ft of space – all of which had to be constructed from scratch. Even the flooring had to be put in because of strict building codes. While primarily functioning as a lounge drawing the post-concert and theatre crowd, de Vito also hopes to attract business in the form of corporate events and weddings.
In terms of the drinks programme, de Vito is collaborating with industry leaders Proof & Co., and has installed Adonis Reyes as bar manager. Reyes hails from the Shangri-La’s Origin Bar, which ranked No. 32 in this year’s Asia’s 50 Best Bars list. Expect progressive cocktails alongside an extensive menu of bar bites, including charcuterie items, pizzas and charcoal-grilled nibbles.
And living up to its Roman Empire namesake, DJs are set to spin until 3am on weekends, giving it a hedonistic energy not unlike what you might find in the party hotspots of the Mediterranean.