By Geoffrey Eu, 13 August 2005
The Business Times

Authentic: With a reputation as a highly proficient pizza and pasta chef, Valentino Valtulina is no slouch in other departments either. (Above): Squid ink pasta with crab

AT 31, Valentino Valtulina has already forged a distinctive culinary career in Singapore by creating good quality home-style Italian eateries in sleepy residential neighbourhoods - all within a kilometre or two of each other in the fast-changing Sixth Avenue/Bukit Timah restaurant belt. By daring to go where no chef has gone before, he is something of a pioneer in the shophouse restaurant-in-quiet-neighbourhood niche.

Given the number of restaurants and food concepts that have cropped up in the stretch of Bukit Timah between the Farrer Road and Clementi Road junctions, it seemed improbable that there would be any more virgin territory for Valtulina to conquer, but he has gone and done it again. Ristorante Da Valentino opened about two weeks ago in Jalan Bingka, off Rifle Range Road - a stone's throw from the railway line to Malaysia. Judging from the increase in vehicular traffic during meal time, the word is already out on this trattoria-style space at the edge of a charming housing estate.

About 10 years ago, Valtulina was a chef in the popular Tuscan seaside resort of Forte dei Marmi when a Singaporean visitor to the restaurant he worked in invited him to apply his skills in Singapore. Several restaurants later, Valtulina - who has a Singaporean wife and a five-day-old baby daughter - has decided to take the family restaurant concept to heart.

His previous restaurant venture Cantina involved a Singapore partner but now - after a shareholding dispute that has yet to be resolved - he is the sole proprietor of the new restaurant, although in keeping with the best Italian tradition, his parents Gianni and Alma are here with him in Singapore, and his sister is also making plans to come over.

Ristorante Da Valentino is a true family affair - probably the only Italian restaurant in town that boasts a genuine family-friendly touch. His cooking - in the classic trattoria style - has always been simple and scrupulously authentic, and that's why a band of loyal customers have followed him from one establishment to another. His disarming personality and sincere manner are also factors in his favour.

'This is not just a business for me,' says Valtulina. 'It's a big challenge to go into a new neighbourhood, but I'm trying to build an informal, friendly place where the people don't really need a menu - they already know what they want or they trust me to make a decision for them.' With a reputation as a highly proficient pizza and pasta chef, he's no slouch in other departments either. The menu at Valentino's holds little in the way of culinary surprises, and that's how his customers like it. The chef says he will introduce fresh seasonal items on a regular basis, including - in coming weeks - baby squid and scampi from Sicily, goat cheese from Trentino, Valeriana salad greens from Napoli and fresh anchovies from Sardinia. The effect, he hopes, will be similar to having a meal at a neighbourhood restaurant in Italy. If customers show a positive response, he will import more items. He may even let mama cook a meal for the customers every now and then.

Prices are in the mid-range category. Pizzas, for example, range between $13 and $22. 'We want to give quality food and service at neighbourhood prices,' says the chef, adding that while his food may not be out of this world, there will be a certain comfort level that will keep the people coming back.

He has a simple philosophy when it comes to out-of-the-way places. 'I like to be the first one there,' he says. 'I believe that in Singapore, if your food is good and the atmosphere is nice, people will come - they like to discover a place.' There is also a new banana leaf kopi tiam two doors away from Valentino's, but if past indications are anything to go by, more restaurants are on the way.

Ristorante Da Valentino
11 Jalan Bingka (off Rifle Range Road)
Tel: 6462 0555