Valentino

Original Italian cuisine in an authentic Italian setting, minus the gimmicks. This is perhaps the reason why Valentino is perennially full, and walk-in dining is an impossibility. Valentino is owned and run by an Italian chef who settled in Singapore a few years ago. On the walls of this restaurant are photos of his family - his Singaporean wife and their child - a clue to how and why he had ended up cooking in Singapore. It's an interesting place. Located within an old shophouse off Rifle Range Road, it could have been easily missed and dismissed. But despite its locality, Valentino has an enviable reputation as one of the best Italian dining place in town. Its cozy interior decor and ambience evokes memories of little Italy.  Home made pasta, top quality olive oil and fresh ingredients. 

As a starter, we each ordered a bowl of seafood soup.  It was thick in seafood flavor with a well-balanced tinge of tomato taste, and an abundance of fresh seafood in it.  

For the main course, I would typically go for spaggetti vongole, and this was what I ordered in my first visit to Valentino. The serving was generous with clams.  

The Smoked Salmon Salad was refreshing and tasty.