If this restaurant sounds familiar, yes there is one in Singapore! However, I’ve never been there before because it’s out of reach for me, situated in the west.

While looking for something nice in Jakarta, this came highly rated on Zomato. I was told that the menu and specialties are the same and the chef here is the cousin of Singapore’s.

However, I noticed a very big different – in Jakarta this restaurant is considered a fancy place, with diners dressing up extravagantly for a meal here while in Singapore it’s considered a ‘normal’ place. Many times too, this place was booked for private functions like birthdays and parties (as spotted on Instagram) and people really dress up for such events. The restaurant is located in an office building at the edge of South Jakarta, close to Central, which definitely gets no walk in crowd. You need to pass security and go up a lift to get there. It’s best to make reservations so they will expect you.

The bread was really nice.

So we ordered more bread! This is homemade bread sticks. Yum.

Grilled octopus was a daily special. Lovely.

Linguini Carbonara – 185.000 IDR++

Fettucine al Granchio – 295.000 IDR++
Signature Squid Ink Fettuccine with Crabmeat in Creamy Tomato Sauce

This one is famous in Singapore too so I thought I should try it here. It was nice but not the best pasta for me. The portion was quite big though, so the price is quite value for money.

Overall it was a pleasant experience but I don’t think this will make me try the one in Singapore, though I certainly wouldn’t mind, because the location is simply too inconvenient for me.

Ristorante da Valentino
MD Place Bulding, Lantai 11, Jl. Setiabudi Selatan No. 7, Setiabudi, Jakarta