Food - Ristorante da Valentino

Part 2 of my birthday celebration involved dinner at an Italian restaurant that is supposed to be quite famous in Singapore. I don't know if it really is famous, but if it is, I can see why.

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:

The Entrance Foyer

Prosciutto, anyone?

A cosy restaurant, with beautiful, rustic settings

Service was good. We had a reservation, and once we confirmed it with the waiter at the reception, we were shown to a table set within one of those cubbyholes in the wall. The entire atmosphere was rather cosy and rustic, very typical of Italian restaurants. The waiters were prompt without being fussy and intrusive, something I really appreciate.

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!

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).

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!

Ristorante da Valentino

200 Turf Club Road, #01-19

Singapore 287994

Facebook: Ristorante da Valentino

Contact No: +65 6462 0555

Opening Hours:

Tue - Sun: 12:00 - 15:00, 18:00 - 22:30

Food - Tanuki Raw!

As part of my birthday celebration, a friend and I headed to Tanuki Raw for pre-dinner cocktails and oysters. I'd heard about Tanuki's crazy happy hour oyster deal from another friend of mine months before, and have been looking for a good excuse to visit since then.

Tanuki Raw:

"Tanuki is a mythical, mischievous, shape-shifting creature.
"Enjoy happy hour overlooking Orchard Road.  5:00 PM - 8 PM daily, classic martini selections for $10, cocktails at $11, pints of beer for $10, freshly shucked oysters at $2, and salmon sashimi at $5."

Tanuki delights in the raw pleasures of food and drink.

Classic cocktails and urbane morsels amidst one of Asia's most vibrant streets."

And the Happy Hour Promotion:

"Enjoy happy hour overlooking Orchard Road.  5:00 PM - 8 PM daily, classic martini selections for $10, cocktails at $11, pints of beer for $10, freshly shucked oysters at $2, and salmon sashimi at $5."

Alright, how does one resist these?
1) Cocktails at $11? I mean, this is Singapore, and you'll be lucky to find a good cocktail for less than $15.
2) Freshly shucked oysters.
3) And in case that wasn't enough, they're priced at $2.

To kickstart the night, we ordered cocktails! I am a fan of cocktails. A good alcoholic drink for me would either be red wine, sparkling wine or cocktails. I don't really like mixers, and if I'm drinking alcohol for fun, then the drink itself should be fun as well.

I ordered one of my all time favourite cocktails - a margarita ($11). The margarita was quite good; the kick from the alcohol was there, and for someone who holds his alcohol quite well, I was already feeling some effects by the time I was done with the glass. Each alcoholic drink entitles you to 6 of the $2 oysters max, so I decided to make full use of the opportunity. I wanted to try the other types of oysters ($3-$10 each) but since I had a good dinner awaiting me, I decided to just enjoy the really cheap ones.

My friend ordered a mojito, another favourite of mine. I like my drinks sour. Sweet is okay, but not too sweet, and I love the mix of minty, sour and sweet flavours in the mojito. The mojito wasn't bad at all, but I would've loved for the flavours to be a bit more intense, especially the lime.

Together, we also ordered two plates of sashimi ($3 each, 1 portion per alcoholic drink), and finished off with truffle fries. I did not take any pictures of the food, but here is an Instavideo:

Please also ignore my friend's OCD tendencies regarding "things stuck in (his) drink"!

The oysters were fresh, and came with a shallot red wine sauce (if I am not wrong), which was passable. I enjoy my oysters with a tiny squirt of lemon juice and Tabasco sauce, and that was how I devoured all 6 oysters!

The fries were a last minute order, and were rather disappointing. They were crunchy, but too salty. I know fries should be salty, but this bordered on unhealthily and unreasonably salty.

On the whole, it was a great experience. Good alcohol at happy hour prices, and fresh, cheap oysters and sashimi. What's not to love? Service can be improved though. Our waiter was a bit confused, and made mistakes at least twice when bringing us our order. We also asked for mayonnaise for our fries, and he said,"OK." only to do forget about it and do other things. I like waiters who pay attention and have good memory, because it shows how serious they are about their jobs. But other than that, it was a great visit and I will be visiting again, with a good excuse or not!

Tanuki Raw
181 Orchard Road 
#02-03 Orchard Central
Singapore 238896

Facebook: Tanuki

Contact No: +65 6636 5949

Opening Hours:
Mon - Sun: 11:30 - 22:30
Happy hour: 17:00 - 20:00 daily

Food - Chocolate Origin

Who loves chocolate cake? I don't think I know anyone who doesn't like love it. A good chocolate cake makes everything better; add a glass of wine or a cup of tea, and a rainy day... Perfect.

What is a birthday without a nice birthday cake? For mine, my sister bought Chocolate Origin's Original chocolate cake. The 6" cake costs $29. Before this, my mum had raved about how good it was after trying it at its Changi Village branch. Since then, I've been wanting to try it out for myself and see if it is better than Awfully Chocolate. So I was pleasantly surprised to discover that my sister had bought this cake for me, after coming home from a day at work and birthday dinner at Dean & Deluca.

Chocolate Origin's Original Chocolate Cake

22 Years Old.

One slice before bed.

I'm not one to watch what I eat, because thank goodness I have had no need to (so far). So how was the cake?

Well for one, it was smooth. Really smooth, and not too sweet at all. The problem with most cakes is that they are too sweet, and with chocolate cake (and chocolates, really) is that the sweetness should not  overpower the taste of chocolate. Really good and satisfying milk chocolate is hard to come by, and it's my favourite; I don't like white chocolate or dark chocolate. So yes, back to this cake. It's smooth, not too sweet and the chocolate is good.

However... Now this is going to seem like I'm shooting myself in the foot but it's too chocolatey, and not in a good way at all. Bad chocolate cake either contains very little or too much chocolate, and when a cake is too chocolatey, it means that it becomes tiresome to eat after a while. With this cake though, it became a bit tiresome to eat because it tasted the same throughout. I feel that when it comes to cakes, there should be a play between different types of flavours in the cake. This cake just tasted the same throughout, and that is why I still prefer Awfully Chocolate's cakes. The sponge in AF's cakes is just right, and combined with chocolate icing, it doesn't get boring or tiresome at all!

For the last two birthdays, my birthday cakes were from AF, and while Chocolate Origin's cake is not bad, I will only want AF's cake for my birthday next year. Or anyone's birthday, really. Any excuse for good chocolate cake eh?

I hope everyone's weekend is going swimmingly. Till the next time!

Chocolate Origin

Blk 4 Changi Village Road
#01-2084 Singapore 500004

Facebook: Chocolate Origin

Contact No: 6542 2939

Opening Hours:
Mon - Fri : 12pm - 9pm
Sat - Sun : 10.30am - 9pm

Food - My Birthday Dinner at Dean & Deluca

It was my birthday yesterday. After two years of birthday parties, I felt weird that my birthday dinner this year was gonna be a quiet affair. Birthday dinners would usually be enjoyed with the family, but this year, I decided to have dinner with my friend, and asked him to plan it for me. He'd let slipped over the weekend that we were going to Dean and Deluca for dinner, and even though I really wanted to be surprised, I have also been wanting to try Dean and Deluca for a while now.

In case you didn't know, Dean and Deluca is a famous gourmet brand from the US. The US seems to have an abundance of such brands that we don't have over here in little old Singapore, but this has changed slowly over the past few years. I remember when I used to think A&F, American Eagle, Hollister and GAP were cool, but thank goodness I was over it before some of these brands decided to grace our shores with their presence. Heh. Anyway, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that Dean and Deluca was opening its first flagship store here at the very quiet peaceful Orchard Central. I enjoy good food, and I'd heard that Dean and Deluca serves good food.

My friend and I reached D&D (okay, very lazy to keep typing the full name) at about 645pm. It was mostly empty, with a few customers sitted here and there. There was no menu; we looked at the menu boards suspended above the food counter, and at the food displays. There is a great variety of choices, and I'd heard that the beef lasagne al forno was worth a try. It should also be noted that D&D offers all day breakfast, so if you crave pancakes at dinner time, you know where to head. In the end, we ordered a grilled chicken salad, lasagne al forno and sauteed brioche french toast with caramelised bananas.

Customers have to get the cutlery and water themselves, but the food will be served to them. I seem to be visiting such establishments quite often huh? Anyway, it is no trouble for me and I do not mind it much. The salad came quickly, and it was no big deal. It's just a simple salad consisting of grilled chicken (healthier choice), greens, grapes, green apple and walnut with balsamic vinegar. I think my standard salad of baby butterhead lettuce, ham, cherry tomatoes with japanese sesame seed dressing is much more satisfying than this.

Half-eaten Grilled Chicken Salad.

 Next up, the lasagne al forno. The lasagne has been pre-baked, and all they do when you order it is heat it up in an oven and then plate it with some greens. It's not bad, if not for the fact that the base is a little tough. I am not sure if it's normal, since it is the base and thus more susceptible to over cooking. However, it did make it a little troublesome to slice and eat. The lasagne was, in general, quite tasty, but it is a generous portion that should be shared instead. I would have enjoyed it more if they had Tabasco sauce. Most mains are better with a generous dashing of Tabasco sauce.

My friend decided to have a sweet breakfast item for his dinner. Yes, he ordered that knowing we were gonna have dessert somewhere else after that. But I think it was a good choice. The brioche was warm and soft, a very nice combination that works as breakfast food and dessert. The caramel was slightly salted as well, if I'm not wrong, and wasn't too cloying in its sweetness. The entire dish was easy to eat and enjoy, although again, it is a generous portion that should be shared.

Definitely something I will wake up for, and then head back to bed. ;)

On the whole, I enjoyed dinner at D&D. Price wise, be prepared to spend about $20+ per person. We shared the salad and had one dish each, all of which came up to nearly $50. It's not that expensive, but I happen to know a better restaurant with much more interesting items on the menu (and choice) just a short walk away - Jones the Grocer.

D&D is worth a visit though, if you are interested in its house brand items and other gourmet items the brand sells in its grocery section. I saw a few snacks that would definitely be interesting, but a little bit out of my price range for snacks at the moment. For example, a packet of cajun mix nuts cost $9.50. I was also very interested in its cheese and charcuterie section, where they offer a very wide range of cheeses and meats. I'm not a very big fan of cheese and meats, because they tend to stink and I'm not the type who finds the smell of cheese appetising, but I've developed a greater interest in such foods recently. Hopefully I'll have a chance to taste some of these myself soon! I left D&D's cheese section and about half an hour later, I was at Jones the Grocer, thinking about ordering its cheese board and a glass of wine... Right, maybe another time!

Dean & Deluca
#04-23/24 Orchard Central
181 Orchard Road
Singapore 238896

Facebook: Dean & Deluca SG

Contact No: 6509 7708

Opening Hours:
Mon - Sun: 11am - 10pm

My Birthday Gift Guide

You know what people never seem to give enough of? Cards. More specifically, handmade cards with heartfelt messages that really show the person what you mean to them. Of course, thoughtfully selected presents do that too, but as a man of words, I'd rather drown in the beauty of a sincere message that I can savour when I'm feeling down or a little bit lonely, than the plasticity and impermanence of wrapping paper. Nonetheless, I enjoy giving and, more importantly, receiving presents as well. Really though, what I relish at the start of every mathematical new year of my life are the luminous memories - of beautiful presents, the joy of receiving something you want and even better, the joy of receiving something you didn't even know you want. 

Over the years, I've found that I'm quite good at 1) making cards, and 2) selecting, wrapping and giving presents. I love it when others do these things for me as well, but unfortunately, not everyone has my 'talent'. Since my birthday is coming up and I have an endless list of wants, I think it'll be helpful for some people in my life to take a look at this nifty gift guide on what will make JH really, really happy.

Let's start with the basics. With anything material and physical, its colour should ideally be one I appreciate. Everyone has their favourite colour or colours, and for someone who cannot settle for just one, I have many.

L2R: Clinique Be Happy for Men After Shave, Adidas Originals Trefoil T-Shirt, TOMS University Classic Espadrilles, SUPER Flat Top Francis Havana, and Fred Perry Rib Pocket Detail Shirt.

Of course, there are the classic black, white and grey, but they're complementary colours.

As mentioned before, I have an endless list of wants, and through each year, this list stays almost the same. The mainstays are clothes, bags, shoes and skincare products. Special guest stars include shades, perfume and cosmetics.

I have many favourite brands as well, and though they're not necessarily all of the best quality, I do not mind very much as long as it lasts well, for at least 1.5 years. For clothes, bags and shoes, if a trip to my favourite shop in BKK (it's a secret) is not possible, then I'll visit Zara, HE by Mango or H&M. Occasionally, I visit Fred Perry but 1) I cannot afford to pay more than $100 for an article of clothing, and 2) its tops and shoes are a favourite among certain people, thus rendering them undesirable. There are many brilliant brands out there as well, but whether I buy clothes from them depends on the specific item.

I like to get my skincare products from Kiehl's and Belif. I'm currently using the Aqua Bomb from Belif, and it has been quite good so far; no complaints. Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Essence is amazing. I just got my second bottle, but haven't started on it yet. One bottle has lasted me about 10 months, so it's bang for your buck.

So with the intros out of the way, what has caught JH's eye this year? Wait no further. In no order whatsoever...

Fred Perry Leather Holdall

I have a sling bag, a backpack which transforms into a tote and sling bag as well... I also have my trusty Fred Perry Holdall, but it's two years old and not leather. A new leather holdall that goes with everything will be well used and a permanent part of my wardrobe. This bag from Fred Perry is beautiful - pure black, understated and looks simple and classy. My only gripe is that it doesn't have a front pocket, where I like to throw my essentials like my wallet, lip balm and perfume.

Fred Perry Leather Billfold Wallet

I'm still in my leather phase, where I wanna get beautiful leather goods. This Fred Perry Billfold Wallet is 100% leather, and in brown (read: not boring). I like my wallets to be as slim as possible, but few wallets look good with a money clip. The leather fringe detail on this wallet also keeps things interesting and non-generic. To go really, really slim, we need to eliminate every other item except for the cash, and that's where The Fold comes in:

Leffot - The Fold

So simple and elegant. Inconvenient, I admit but... it's nice, isn't it?

Finally, the last type of leather product I enjoy looking at - the belt. Makr has lots of beautiful leather goods, but I really like this belt:

Makr - Button Stud Belt

It's very understated and simple as well, and will go well with almost anything, especially my favourite blue pants.

I love my shorts to be just that - short. Of course, they shouldn't be too short or baggy, because then I'll just look like I'm a child playing grown up. I like Fred Perry's shorts, because they are short (such a poet!), slim and plain.

Fred Perry Chino Shorts

These are a little bit expensive for shorts, but it's really difficult to find shorts I actually like. I don't have a pair of shorts in this colour, but it's go well with most of my clothes and be just right for Singapore's sunny weather! Pair it with a nice blue or white tee shirt, shades and a pair of loafers and you're good to go.

I have almost everything one needs to look good, and I'm not usually one for accessories. Recently though, I've been thinking about wearing a watch. I have small wrists for a guy, and it's difficult to find a watch that looks good and fits. I saw this on High Snobiety yesterday, and have been thinking about it since:

G Shock - Rose Gold Watch Series

Doesn't it look good? I can only hope it looks nice on my wrist. :)

Of course, a present does not have to be material. It could be an experience, such as a dinner, that is enjoyable and memorable. And experiences are easily made more enjoyable with a good bottle of wine or champagne. For my birthday, I plan to have lunch at Basilico @ The Regent. It has an Italian buffet which I heard is simply amazing. Where did I hear this from? None other than Lady Iron Chef. I swear, going on this site this holiday will be the death of my wallet. Actually, my wallet is permanently damaged and dead. I think it's pretty much a fossil right now. But there you go. Hopefully this guide is helpful for anyone looking to buy a present for anyone (preferably a guy though) in July, or even the next few months.

More important than the gift is the thought. A really thoughtful gift bought with love and sincerity will definitely be well appreciated. I believe it will shine through no matter what. With that, it's FRIDAY! Have a good weekend.