A Saturday Night at Valentina
Every year (for the past three years), my family and I have travelled down to Surrey to remember my grandparents who have now passed away. They lived in Weybridge, and it's where some of my fondest childhood memories were made.
Some of my later memories were made at a restaurant called Valentina, somewhere my grandma loved to take us for family meals and get-togethers. So it's a place of familiarity, and it offers some form of comfort while we dine in there. It acts almost as a tether to me and my grandparents, despite the fact that they're no longer with us.
This year, I decided to blog the experience, mainly because it's an exceptional establishment with a team of friendly professionals backing its success. But I also wanted to blog it because I don't want the memories of the place to fade, especially if it goes in for refurbishment, or changes hands.
This restaurant is phenomenal. From the delicious food from starters to puddings, to exceptional customer service - going above and beyond what is expected - it's no wonder the likes of Sir Cliff Richard have eaten in here. In fact, back in September, we decided to come here for dinner, and he walked in while we were waiting for our food! My jaw dropped to the floor, it was crazy to me that this small, independent Italian restaurant had caught the eye of the Cliff himself! So if that's not an indication as to how great this place is, I don't know what is.
As well as delectable food being served, together with excellent customer service, Valentina has a deli at the front where they sell panettone, nougat, dried pasta and fine sauces, all imported from Italy. So after you've enjoyed food and some great wine, you can take a gander around the shop. Most of which would make excellent Christmas presents (yes, I mentioned the 'C' word).
Anyway, that's enough from me. I think we should let the following pictures do the talking for me!
*If you like the look of this place, together with the food, or if you'd like to try and do some celebrity spotting, then I've left some useful links at the end of this post, should you want to book a table. Trust me, you won't be disappointed!
Some of my later memories were made at a restaurant called Valentina, somewhere my grandma loved to take us for family meals and get-togethers. So it's a place of familiarity, and it offers some form of comfort while we dine in there. It acts almost as a tether to me and my grandparents, despite the fact that they're no longer with us.
This year, I decided to blog the experience, mainly because it's an exceptional establishment with a team of friendly professionals backing its success. But I also wanted to blog it because I don't want the memories of the place to fade, especially if it goes in for refurbishment, or changes hands.
This restaurant is phenomenal. From the delicious food from starters to puddings, to exceptional customer service - going above and beyond what is expected - it's no wonder the likes of Sir Cliff Richard have eaten in here. In fact, back in September, we decided to come here for dinner, and he walked in while we were waiting for our food! My jaw dropped to the floor, it was crazy to me that this small, independent Italian restaurant had caught the eye of the Cliff himself! So if that's not an indication as to how great this place is, I don't know what is.
As well as delectable food being served, together with excellent customer service, Valentina has a deli at the front where they sell panettone, nougat, dried pasta and fine sauces, all imported from Italy. So after you've enjoyed food and some great wine, you can take a gander around the shop. Most of which would make excellent Christmas presents (yes, I mentioned the 'C' word).
Anyway, that's enough from me. I think we should let the following pictures do the talking for me!
*If you like the look of this place, together with the food, or if you'd like to try and do some celebrity spotting, then I've left some useful links at the end of this post, should you want to book a table. Trust me, you won't be disappointed!
Starters to die for!
We opted for a selection of starters, together with a glass of wine, of course!
The starters we went for...
A Misto di Salumi - selection of cured meats and pane carasau
Vegetariano Platter - grilled veg, sun-dried tomatoes, olives and pane carasau
Pizza Fritta - fried pizza dough
The starters were delicious. Every single item was cooked to absolute perfection, and the meats and roasted veg melted in the mouth. We went for the sharer options as opposed to the one-man portion, simply because everyone could try a bit of everything and still have room for their main dish of the night. It's very good value for money too, as three platters were enough for six of us.
The starters we went for...
A Misto di Salumi - selection of cured meats and pane carasau
Vegetariano Platter - grilled veg, sun-dried tomatoes, olives and pane carasau
Pizza Fritta - fried pizza dough
The starters were delicious. Every single item was cooked to absolute perfection, and the meats and roasted veg melted in the mouth. We went for the sharer options as opposed to the one-man portion, simply because everyone could try a bit of everything and still have room for their main dish of the night. It's very good value for money too, as three platters were enough for six of us.
The main event...
The main dishes never fail to disappoint in that establishment. I have never had a bad thing to say about the food here, with this visit being no exception.
The mains we went for...
Margherita Pizza - tomato, mozzarella and basil
Tagliata - sliced 10oz aged rib eye steak, rocket, parmesan and cherry tomatoes
Risotto ai Frutti di Mare - seafood risotto and chilli
Casarecce & N'duja - spicy n'duja, italian sausage ragu and mascarpone
Spaghetti al Pomodoro - tomato and basil sauce with meatballs (two of these were ordered)
The mains came out in good time after the remnants of our starters were taken away. There was never a time where we were waiting longer than necessary for anything, really. From being seated with menus, to ordering drinks to plates being cleared away, it makes for a highly enjoyable, hospitable experience all round, and somewhere I highly recommend visiting if you're in the area.
The food was delightful (as always). My dad went for a steak, which was cooked exactly how he likes it, first time! My dad is the sort of person who will send a steak back three or four times before it's cooked properly, so that's a huge achievement in itself. My mum had the seafood risotto, my boyfriend went for the spicy Italian sausage pasta, my brother had the pizza and my sister and I ordered the spaghetti with meatballs.
The only thing was, I couldn't eat all of mine, simply because the starters has filled me up! What a blunder... I was quite annoyed about that actually, because I was rather enjoying my dinner, but I had to stop half way through! But that aside, the pasta was the perfect texture, the sauce was full of flavour and the meatballs were incredibly juicy.
In fact, my parents were so impressed with the food we'd received throughout the night that they took the time and made the effort to shake the chef's hand at the end of the evening. So that says it all really, doesn't it?
The mains we went for...
Margherita Pizza - tomato, mozzarella and basil
Tagliata - sliced 10oz aged rib eye steak, rocket, parmesan and cherry tomatoes
Risotto ai Frutti di Mare - seafood risotto and chilli
Casarecce & N'duja - spicy n'duja, italian sausage ragu and mascarpone
Spaghetti al Pomodoro - tomato and basil sauce with meatballs (two of these were ordered)
The mains came out in good time after the remnants of our starters were taken away. There was never a time where we were waiting longer than necessary for anything, really. From being seated with menus, to ordering drinks to plates being cleared away, it makes for a highly enjoyable, hospitable experience all round, and somewhere I highly recommend visiting if you're in the area.
The food was delightful (as always). My dad went for a steak, which was cooked exactly how he likes it, first time! My dad is the sort of person who will send a steak back three or four times before it's cooked properly, so that's a huge achievement in itself. My mum had the seafood risotto, my boyfriend went for the spicy Italian sausage pasta, my brother had the pizza and my sister and I ordered the spaghetti with meatballs.
The only thing was, I couldn't eat all of mine, simply because the starters has filled me up! What a blunder... I was quite annoyed about that actually, because I was rather enjoying my dinner, but I had to stop half way through! But that aside, the pasta was the perfect texture, the sauce was full of flavour and the meatballs were incredibly juicy.
In fact, my parents were so impressed with the food we'd received throughout the night that they took the time and made the effort to shake the chef's hand at the end of the evening. So that says it all really, doesn't it?
Sweet treats!
I'm not particularly partial to a pudding, especially after eating two courses already, so my mum and I decided to to skip the dessert, and went for a glass of wine instead. However, the others did have a pudding, and they looked absolutely delicious. In the past, I've gone for the chocolate fondant with ice cream, but I have been tempted by the tiramisu, I won't lie. Anyway, my dad had the bread and butter pudding, my brother had the chocolate fondant, my sister had the sorbet and my boyfriend went for the tiramisu (I was so jealous!).
The puddings we went for...
Budino di Panettone - bread and butter pudding
Cioccolato Fondente - hot chocolate fondant topped with vanilla gelato
Coppa Sorbetto - choice of three scoops of sorbet (lemon, mango and raspberry) - my sister went for two scoops of mango and one scoop of raspberry
Valentina Tiramisu - savoiardi biscuits, espresso coffee, marscarpone and marsala wine, dusted with chocolate powder
The puddings we went for...
Budino di Panettone - bread and butter pudding
Cioccolato Fondente - hot chocolate fondant topped with vanilla gelato
Coppa Sorbetto - choice of three scoops of sorbet (lemon, mango and raspberry) - my sister went for two scoops of mango and one scoop of raspberry
Valentina Tiramisu - savoiardi biscuits, espresso coffee, marscarpone and marsala wine, dusted with chocolate powder
A gander around the Valentina deli
As I said at the beginning, Valentina have their own shop at the front. The bi-fold doors open up in the summer to let a welcome breeze roll through. However, what with it being November, the doors weren't (obviously) open. Instead, we had a decent view of the high street and the comings and goings of Weybridge.
Just past the bi-folding doors is where the shop is. It's usually fully stocked, but it's especially full during this time of year. They stock authentic Italian produce, from nougat to pasta sauce, they have everything you could ever want to make a delectable Italian dish. Not only that, but they have a wide selection of wines, too! If you know me, you won't be surprised to know that wine section of the store was the first place I went to take a gander at.
Take a look at what else they have to offer, including an Italian coffee roaster and a cold food counter with a selection of beautiful meats and cheeses, what's not to love about this place?
***
l hope you enjoyed this post! Let me know if you've ever been, and if you have, did you see anyone famous dining there? If you haven't paid a visit to this wonderful restaurant, you definitely should if you're in the area. Below are a few links you may need if you're thinking of going for dinner there!
Valentina's website
Valentina's online shop
Take a look at their menu
Book a table!
Valentina's website
Valentina's online shop
Take a look at their menu
Book a table!
I will see you again really soon with another blog post for you!
***
WHERE TO FIND ME
PREVIOUS BLOG POST
COPYRIGHT INFORMATION
Comments
Post a Comment