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2012-04-16
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Good friend and tennis mate, Glad's birthday falls in January and she had wanted to try out Ristorante da Valentino whom she has heard good reviews about. So off we headed to the placid suburbs of Bukit Timah for some highly authentic Italian food at the restaurant helmed by owner and executive chef Valtulina Valentino.Step into the restaurant and you will be instantly hit by the homely and cosy settings of the place that reminds you more of a family's dining room instead of a high end restauran
Good friend and tennis mate, Glad's birthday falls in January and she had wanted to try out Ristorante da Valentino whom she has heard good reviews about. So off we headed to the placid suburbs of Bukit Timah for some highly authentic Italian food at the restaurant helmed by owner and executive chef Valtulina Valentino.
Step into the restaurant and you will be instantly hit by the homely and cosy settings of the place that reminds you more of a family's dining room instead of a high end restaurant. Framed pictures of their who's who clientele and multiple accolades adorned the walls. The warmth and amiability of their staff whose cheerful bantering sets you at ease and paves a comfortable mood. You'll see them freely mingling with their customers as if everyone were old friends. We also caught a glimpse of Mr. Valentino himself who came out to speak to a customer or two. That is probably the beauty and speciality of a family business where that personal touch differentiates them from the corporate bigwigs.
We got started on a bottle of sweet and sparkling Muscat and warm crusty loaves that comes accompanied with pesto. I wonder if it was due to my hunger but the pesto was so good that we went for seconds.We got the wait staff to provide recommendations and he cheekily mentioned that their recommended dishes are not in the menu. On his suggestion, we picked a starter of assorted mushrooms sauteed in butter. The fungus were served warm in a butter-laced brown sauce, which was slightly salty on its own but was good for mopping up with more bread. Alv mentioned if they laid off the butter slightly and served this with red cut chilli, this could passed off as a Chinese dish.
I was torn between risotto and pasta but decided on the latter. One of the specials was Linguine with Mussels, which came with a generous heap of the shellfish. 36 to be exact and yes, I counted. The mussels were small but naturally sweet and were definitely given a good scrub and wash-down as I didn't detect a single grain trapped in any of them.
Glad chose the Linguine with Monkfish, where the fish was sliced and cooked to a soft and tender bite. Monkfish isn't a common type of fish; at least not one that I eat often so that was a pleasant experience. Coupled with juicy olives halves, I find this dish an intriguing one.
Alv went for the grilled seabass, which the waiter promptly deboned for him when it arrived. It was an entire fish which was grilled whole that yielded a crisp golden browned skin. It was just lightly seasoned with salt to allow the natural freshness of the fish to come through. That is what I call being back to basics.We were joking that Jeff's orders always come in a pot. This time round, he ordered a chicken stew, which was rich without being stodgy. The chicken flesh fell easily from the bone with a gentle swipe of the knife, an act that was probably achieved through slow simmering. The meat was soft and nicely moisten with the thickened gravy. The supplements of potatoes chunks and olives further liven up the dish. I especially adored the olives, which after absorbing the essence of the stew, explodes when in your mouth.
And the Tiramisu came accompanied with a lighted candle and a birthday song! The staff burst into melody with gusto, that got the entire crowd clapping their hands and joining in spontaneously! Apparently, this is the restaurant's tradition for anybody celebrating their birthday there. It was a pleasant gesture for Glad that made her grin from cheek-to-cheek and once the candle was blown off, our spoons moved in fast succession. The soft and creamy texture of this ubiquitous Italian dessert possessed an airy and light feel to it, putting a perfect end to our dinner celebration.
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