Alas, no burrata cheese at Valentino tonight. We were there for the 8.30 pm sitting and they were sold out by then. At least it gave us a good reason to finally try the gnocchi here. I’ve never had gnocchi (a traditional Italian potato dumpling) before, and I’ve so far refrained from ordering it from just any old Italian joint, in case they do a sucky job and I’m turned off it forever. So what better place to have my first gnocchi than at tried and tested Valentino.
It was a good thing we shared the gnocchi as a starter, because it’s way too gelak for one person to have this all on their own as a main course. We had the gnocchi with cheese sauce, and be warned that it only comes with cheese sauce, no other ingredients. The cheese sauce packed quite a punch (there was definitely some gorgonzola/blue cheese in it, which is fine by me). As for the gnocchi itself, well I definitely found it interesting, but I think I’m still more of a pasta fan. It had more bite and starchiness than pasta, which on the plus side adds texture, but on the down side can be a bit filling and heavy.
A had the veal with parma ham and sage – the veal was very tender for such a lean meat, and the new potatoes were tossed in a very sinful rosemary-flavoured melted butter. I decided to try the pork ravioli (which was a special) today. It was served with a tomato-based sauce with a slightly spicy and tart/sour edge, and for the entire period that I took to finish the dish, I was trying to figure out what that elusive flavour was. I got it in the nick of time, in the second last bite – it was chorizo sausage!
Perla has a new version of the white chocolate chantilly cake. It’s a coffee chantilly, but I still prefer the original version. The coffee taste isn’t very strong, and the coffee cream inside and on top is similar to the coffee glaze on éclairs – a bit sweet and tends to weigh down the cake. The appeal of the white chocolate chantilly is its lightness, and the coffee cream detracts from that a bit.
Still, very satisfying, but I hope there’s burrata to be had again next time.
A says:
Most of my meal was spent trying to figure out what the gnocchi tasted like. And finally I got it: Mac & Cheese! I hope purists don’t find it insulting – I’d rank it as the best Mac & Cheese I’ve ever had. Which is strange since it is potato.
Anyway, service and food are excellent as always. Recently, C told me that people have posted on other local blogs that they find the food too buttery/creamy/etc… My response to that is: “Wah lau eh! That’s what makes it good what!”
Ristorante da Valentino
11 Jalan Bingka (off Rifle Range Road)
Tel: 6462-0555
Tuesday to Sunday: 12 pm to 2.30 pm, 6 pm to 10.30 pm
http://www.valentino.sg/index.html
1 comment:
You've never had gnocchi????
I love it, and almost always choose it over the other pastas, when I see it in a menu!
But I usually have it with tomato-based sauces, because it's a rather thick, dense pasta.
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