Ristorante Da Valentino, Singapore

It is said that while Malaysia has better hawker food, our neighbour down South trumps us in fine dining fare.

Armed with this belief, I asked Shirley for recommendations for a ‘nice place to eat’. She came back with a few suggestions, one of which was Ristorante Da Valentino.

Reviews on-line were overwhelmingly positive; a cosy, family-owned semi-fine dining Italian restaurant that reputedly serves the best pastas in town. Reservations, especially during weekends are a must. We decided on Ristorante Da Valentino and got a 8.30pm Saturday dinner slot.

Ristorante Da Valentino, Singapore - interior
Single obligatory interior shot. I was a bit shy to go around and take photos

The restaurant is warm, cosy and expansive. The bricked walls inspire mental images of what Carmela Corleone’s kitchen would look like. Cleverly partitioned nooks and corners encourage private dining and moments. In short, a perfect place for a good simple meal, a romantic date, a classy get-together, and if you were the couple seated next to our table that evening, an argument on the verge of a relationship break-up.

We ordered a few starters to share and thoroughly enjoyed all of them! It greatly pleased me, an appetizer lover that they do it so well here! One could argue, what is so difficult about putting together cheese, ham and melon? No, not very but with that attitude, you’re going to be eating a lot of meals alone! 😛

Ristorante Da Valentino, Singapore - mushroom soup
Gourmet Porcini mushroom soup with truffle oil (S$15.50)

Ristorante Da Valentino, Singapore - prosciutto and melon
Thinly-sliced Prosciutto Ham on Rock Melon (S$27.90)

Ristorante Da Valentino, Singapore - burrata
Burrata (S$45.90)

Ristorante Da Valentino, Singapore - slicing burrata
Slicing up the big burrata for us to share. Thanks!

I was REALLY looking forward to their pasta as I was repeatedly informed that this restaurants makes them really good, the best etc. Well, my mistake to have too high expectations. My aglio olio was too salty, evident from the overuse of salted pasta water to bind. I found the fettuccine and risotto to be average. They weren’t bad, but I kept waiting for something explosive to happen to my taste buds.

Like I said, my mistake.

The good thing is, the seafood was fresh. If you eat out as often as I do, you’d not take this seemingly little thing for granted. I appreciated the al dente pasta; in Malaysia the de facto way to cook pasta is slimy soft because apparently, that’s how Malaysians like it (NO, NOT REALLY, STOP DOING THAT!)

The best course of the evening was Hassan’s lasagna. A small portion, but absolutely delicious! The ragu sauce tasted like ten thousand warm hugs in the bosom of a loving Italian woman, in the bone chilling cold of mid-winter.

Ristorante Da Valentino, Singapore - seafood aglio olio
Linguini Aglio Olio with Seafood (S$28.50)

Ristorante Da Valentino, Singapore - squid ink fettuccine
Squid Ink Fettuccine with Crabmeat in Creamy Tomato Sauce (S$29.90)

Ristorante Da Valentino, Singapore - seafood risotto
Risotto with Seafood (S$27.50)

Ristorante Da Valentino, Singapore - lasagne
Lasagna with Braised Beef and Tomato Sauce (S$21.90)

Ristorante Da Valentino, Singapore - happy Hassan
Happy Hassan.

The dessert that stood out was the panna cotta, wobbly and creamy and hits all the right notes. The tiramisu with alcohol-soaked biscuit base was delightful, good for sharing especially after your main meal.

Ristorante Da Valentino, Singapore - panna cotta
Panna Cotta (S$12.80)

Ristorante Da Valentino, Singapore - tiramisu
Tiramisu (S$14.80)

Menu prices exclude 10% service charge and 7% GST. Our bill came up to S$340, and we didn’t have any wine. That’s about the same price you’d pay in a similar restaurant in Kuala Lumpur, except that you may get one or two wine by the glass out of it.

All in all, it was an enjoyable experience. Decent food, lovely ambiance, good friends. Our waiter, though incomprehensible at times, had a wicked sense of humour. When asked for directions to the ladies, he replied in a straight face,

“.. turn left, go straight on and you’ll see a bus stop..”

Ristorante Da Valentino, Singapore - with Chef Valentino
With Chef Valentino, wahey!

Ristorante Da Valentino
200 Turf Club Road,
#01-19, Singapore 287994
Tel: +65 6462 0555
Website: www.ristorante-da-valentino.com

Opens Tues to Sun. Lunch: 12pm – 3pm. Dinner 6pm – 10.30pm

comments

Comments

  1. Confession: I’m one of those darned Malaysians who like her past soft. But NOT slimy soft la. I’m also one of those that love her pastas drenched in sauce… which is apparently NOT the real Italian way. Erm.. one man’s meat….? :p

  2. My theory is that local SG food cannot make it, but anything from elsewhere – Japan, Germany, Italy – seems to be better than what you can get in KL.

    • Not necessarily. We are getting some good chefs, though not as many in quantity as elsewhere, but it’s (very) slowly getting there.. depends on which places you go..

      Our problem is QC. There’s no good enough follow up.

Speak Your Mind

*

CommentLuv badge