Ristorante da Valentino was founded in 2005 by Chef Valentino and his wife. Prior to moving to its current location at the Turf Club Grandstand, it was in a residential neighbourhood along Rifle Range Road. It is not the most accessible location, but the journey there was worth the experience.
I did not take any pictures at the restaurant as I really wanted to focus on enjoying the food, but here are some pictures from the restaurant's Facebook page:
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| The Entrance Foyer |
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| Prosciutto, anyone? |
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| A cosy restaurant, with beautiful, rustic settings |
There was a bread basket filled with soft, freshly baked bread that came with its own special dip. I was told it is a mix of olive oil and some special ingredients, probably including basil as well. It was a beautiful dip (yes, beautiful) and so good with the bread.
For dinner, I suggested that we try the Carpaccio di Manzo ($20.90). For the uninitiated, carpaccio is usually a salad of sorts, with raw beef or sometimes, raw fish. The carpaccio here consisted of thinly sliced tenderloin, with lemon and olive oil, rocket and Parmigiano. The carpaccio was fresh, indeed, but could do with more flavour. But, eating everything together - wrapping some rocket and Parmigiano in the thinly sliced tenderloin, allows all the flavours to come together and makes for an enjoyable experience. I liked this dish well enough, but still think that La Braceria's carpaccio is better.
For our main course, I ordered the Scaloppini di Vitello ($33.90) - thinly sliced veal in lemon sauce. I have not had great veal since my trip to Italy in 2008, where I enjoyed veal at almost every dinner simply grilled with salt, pepper and a dash of lemon. The veal here was well cooked, and the thin slice of the veal allowed its flavour to not be overwhelming; instead, it went quite nicely with the tartness of the lemon sauce. My friend ordered the Fettucine al Granchio ($29.90) - squid ink fettucine with crabmeat in a creamy tomato sauce. Again, a dish very well done. The sauce was not too thick, and was a beautiful shade of orange. The squid ink in the pasta complemented the subtle creaminess of the tomato sauce and the sweetness of the crabmeat.
An Instavideo of the food!
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| I also ordered a very nice glass of Montepulciano d'Abruzzo ($13.50) to go with my food! |
The servings may seem rather small to some, but were well portioned. You should not leave full to the point of being uncomfortable. This also means that you have space for dessert, and there was a wide range of desserts to choose from! After much thought, we ordered the typical Italian dessert - Tiramisu (~$13.90).
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| The seemingly simple but seductive Tiramisu |
Tiramisu usually comes with sponge fingers well soaked in Kahlua or rum. I did not detect enough alcohol in this tiramisu, a significant ingredient that actually helps enhance the taste. In fact, some of the fingers were not as soft as I would like them to be. It should be noted that the desserts served at Ristorante da Valentino are not prepared by the restaurant itself, but by its sister bakery, Perla. Nonetheless, it was a good way to end the meal.
All in all, I had a very enjoyable time at Ristorante da Valentino. The service was impeccable. The waiters will ask if you are sharing certain dishes, and however they do it, it seems like all the waiters who serve you will know that those dishes are being shared, and will make sure to serve them to be shared. Nice. Definitely worth the experience, and the trek in and out of the area. Taking a nice walk after a great dinner is always a wonderful idea, and in all, coupled with the happy hour at Tanuki Raw, I had a memorable night, celebrating my 23rd birthday!
Facebook: Ristorante da Valentino
Contact No: +65 6462 0555
Opening Hours:
Tue - Sun: 12:00 - 15:00, 18:00 - 22:30
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