Oh Valentino, how we’ve missed you... We came here with L and M (their first time!) for dinner tonight and had another awesome meal. It’s food like this that sometimes makes me wonder why we bother trying new places for a “Best of [year]”, when such amazing food can be found in old favourites like Valentino and Ember. The meal would’ve been perfect if they’d had stock of burrata and lobster for the signature lobster pasta, but then again, maybe that would’ve been too much of a good thing.
Kudos to Alberto for making all the specials sound so yummy – we ended up sharing 3 of them to start with. Firstly we had fresh figs with parma ham. This was a leap of faith on our part, because I’ve never really been a fan of figs, and I don’t remember trying any raw fresh ones before. This has converted me – the figs were really sweet, and went very well with the parma ham. Kinda like an alternative to the more predictable melon and ham combination. It also helped that the figs were drizzled with a balsamic syrup.
Alas there was no burrata, so we had the braided mozzarella instead, served simply with olive oil, cherry tomatoes and a salad. As always, this was fabulous, and testament to how the best produce rarely needs any intervention.
The dish that left all of us lost for words was the grilled octopus leg. I think this could well be the best octopus I’ve ever had. It was so incredibly tender, grilled with just the right amount of salt, and tasted really sweet. This is how fresh seafood is supposed to taste.
Because there was no lobster pasta tonight, we managed to try some other items. A had the ravioli of the day – stuffed with beef and served in a butter and sage sauce. This was a surprisingly light dish, well-executed and with very clean flavours.
My main course rocked. I had yet another special – the pan fried fish served with risotto. Again, this was so simple, yet all parts of it were prepared so well. The fish was crisp, fresh and well seasoned. The risotto wasn’t too heavy, but was flavourful and most importantly, had the proper oozy texture.
Valentino’s – still our favourite Italian restaurant. Best dishes there are usually the specials, cos those are made with the freshest produce, but they don’t come particularly cheap. I still think it’s worth it for an amazing yet unpretentious meal.
A says:
One of the best meals I’ve had all year. Awesome!!!
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
www.valentino.sg
2 comments:
Looks yummy!! How much did the dishes cost? Thanks
C says:
Octopus was $32. Mozzarella $35. Figs and parma ham $28. Fish and risotto was $35, and the beef ravioli was $28.
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