50 and beyond

I still remember the first time I had dinner there at their small branch at Rifle Range Road.

I remember a scene. A waiter had broken a wine glass at a table. He cleaned up the mess and after he was done, I saw that he was devastated. He dropped his shoulders and looked down and walked meekly to Mr Valentino (Senior), or Papa, as everyone calls him. Papa looked at him intently and then gave him a pat on the back and then hugged him. The tension in the room immediately subsided. I was touched by what I saw.

And that was one reason why I kept returning to dine there. The family treated their staff like family. Plus, Nonna’s chicken was out of the world

Once, when a group of us friends were dining there, Papa came over after dinner, sat down with us, opened a bottle of limoncello and let us sample some. I thought it was such a nice gesture. The other guests in the restaurant were drinking, but our table was not. Papa must have known that we were young working adults and could not afford the luxury of wine. What a lovely treat he gave us that night.

Later, when I was pregnant with D2 in 2007, and when I discovered I had gestational diabetes, I had this constant craving for their Chantilly cake. I could not stop thinking about it. To date, it’s still probably my favourite cake. I’m gonna buy a slice for myself every week from now to their closing.

I still remember the first time D1 had a plate of pasta there. I remember that lunch seating was over, but we were in the vicinity and I desperately need to feed D1 quickly as we were in between some school sessions and he was famished. We walked in and I asked if they could just pander to my request and cook up a pasta dish for him. We won’t dirty their tables, we’ll just sit by the counter. Sure, they said. And they whipped up a tomato-based pasta with bacon for him. D1’s eyes lit up when he took his first bite. He looked at me and asked how a simple pasta could taste so incredible. To date, he says that’s still the best pasta he’s ever had.

Then, there’s when D2 first dined there. Because the menu became more expensive when they moved to the Grandstand, I never brought my family there to dine. If I wanted to eat there, I’ll just go with Hubby. Ya, I’m quite mean, right? But there was once two years ago when I chased the three men out of the home because I was hosting a cousins’ dinner. To appease them, I booked them a table at Valentino. They had a wonderful dinner. To date, D2 still talks about the best cote de boeuf he’s ever had in his life, ever. Whenever we eat beef outside, he would say D1’s cooking is better. But Valentino’s? Here, D2 had to say they did it the best. D2, being very observant, also commented that the service was the best he’d ever experienced. My kids are buffaloes when it comes to drinking water in a restaurant. I think they drink a litre each meal. It’s very troublesome to keep asking for water top up. But at this restaurant, D2 said his glass was never empty. And the astonishing things was that he didn’t even notice that his glass was being topped up. That was how discreet the service was.

Then, there was the incident of the lunch. Hubby had to host a lunch and he decided to bring his guests there. He later described how the waiter had weighed that truffle before and after shaving it onto the risotto. (We had never ordered truffles before and so the experience was new). He described the cheese that got everyone silent while they savoured it because it was so good. And then…the bill. I still chuckle when I try to imagine Hubby’s facial expression when he saw the bill.

Then, there’s the obsession with their Christmas panettone. This is no ordinary panettone. In fact, it doesn’t even look like a panettone. Over the 20-over years, my family went from rum flavoured, when Hubby and I had no kids, to no rum when the kids came and complained of the taste, to rum again, when the kids started enjoying the whiff of rum. But what am I gonna get to replace the panettone from next year onwards??

Dear Valentino, thank you for the so many happy memories. Thank you for accepting Hubby and I late at night, when we were wondering around in our slippers and shorts finding a nice place for dessert, and ended up at your place. We asked if you had a dress code and you said we were dressed formal and invited us in for dessert and drinks.

I will miss you very much.