Ristorante Da Valentino #2
11 Jalan Bingka
6462 0555

I’m back to my favourite (to date) Italian restaurant!

Yoke Yee had absolutely no idea Jon and I would be joining her for lunch. The original plan was that we would go in and surprise her after Kim and she arrived. But they were caught in a traffic jam so Jon and I made our way in first. When they came in, Yoke Yee had a shock seeing us there! I’m so glad we managed to give her a nice surprise.


For our meal, we ordered today’s specials for sharing.

The 1st starter was the Breaded and Fried Broccoli and Zucchini ($24.90++). I have to say that this is a very expensive starter but the quality justifies the price tag. The waitress told us that the broccoli and zucchini were specially flown in from Sicily, Rome to ensure that the vegetables are the freshest ones you can find in Singapore. This recipe is apparently one of the favourite recipes of the chef’s mother. I usually eat steamed zucchini at home and this is the 1st time I’m eating them fried. Despite being deep fried, the vegetables are not oily at all and the batter is very light.

Our 2nd starter was a platter of Assorted Fungi ($24.90++). It’s a mix of Portobello, shitake and oyster mushrooms sautéed in cream sauce with very finely minced garlic and parsley. This is good! The texture of the mushrooms is very smooth and silky. The whole mushroom can just slide down your throat. My favourite is the Portobello which has a very nice bite to it.

For mains, we had the Combo Pasta ($24.90++) which is a combination of both the parma ham ravioli and chicken lasagna we had the previous time.

I’m glad that the pasta tastes as good as it did next week which means that the food quality is consistent.

The waitress uses a very interesting handheld electronic gadget to grate the permesan cheese over our pasta. It’s the 1st time I see such a grater being used.

The next main was the Roasted Chicken ($48.90++) stuffed with herbs like rosemary, sage and thyme, and served in hot pot. I like this! The broth is so fragrant and aromatic, and the chicken is very soft and tender. This reminds me of the Chinese herbal chicken but this is definitely not oily at all.

There are also black olives and baby potatoes. The potatoes are very nice! They are so soft that it’s amazing that they can still retain their perfect oval shapes.

The Tiramisu ($8.80++) which I reserved last week gave a sweet ending to this awesome lunch. It’s so good! Comparable to the one made by Da Paolo. This authentic version of the Italian favourite is made with dark espresso and rich, creamy mascarpone cheese.

I like the proportion of Kahlua-soaked biscuits to cheese which gives a very smooth texture to the whole dessert. And the alcoholic taste is distinctive enough.

Even though Valentino is located at such a secluded area, it is not wanting of diners. I think people who patronize it are regulars and we saw the chef introducing his creations to a family personally. If you long for an authentic Italian meal but don’t have the money to fly to Italy, Valentino is your best bet.

Labels: Italian

12:28 AM