Valentino’s 101 | SA Weekend restaurant review
Adelaide’s CBD is desperate to lure workers back from the suburbs – and this Italian trattoria might be just the way to do it.
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Adelaide, like many cities around the world, desperately needs its workers to shun the option of staying home and head back to the office.
While governments and councils throw money at various forms of inducement, they might be better seeing what is on offer at the base of the tower block at 101 Grenfell.
That is where you will find Valentino’s 101, a multifaceted Italian cafe/bar/canteen/trattoria that could be viewed as either old school or revolutionary, depending which way you look at it. For those earning a crust in the vicinity, it provides everything from a Roman breakfast of espresso and bombolini, to a midmorning snack, to antipasto and a daily roast for lunch, and even knock-off drinks and then dinner on a Friday.
The new venture has been brought to life by a pair of chef/entrepreneurs with strong form in consumer-focused cucina. Peter DeMarco is behind Italian stalwarts including Borsa and Pizza e Mozzarella, as well as suburban Chicco Palms. Claudio Ferraro was co-founder and pastry maestro of the original Cibo.
Wander in from the street through a brick facade and Valentino’s doesn’t make an immediate impression in a vast lobby with a central void open to the elements. Veer left, however, and you will find a bar with coffee machine, pastry display and bottles of liquor, then a row of booths set into archways along the far wall. More tables are spread across a low mezzanine with line drawings and cuttings from an olive tree for decoration. Add a couple of enthusiastic after-work gatherings and this trattoria vignette is surprisingly effective.
The second part of the business is on the far side of the atrium, where a substantial kitchen is fronted by a heated display cabinet that is filled for the lunch rush with focaccia, pizza, meatballs, stuffed vegetables and other ready-made food. You line up, pick a meal and get handed a buzzer.
At night (Friday and Saturday only), service is more civilised and the menu expanded. Our brilliant waitress might be Brazilian but can still pronounce words such as “sfogliatelle” beautifully. She also mixes a fine negroni and races plates across from the kitchen when they are ready.
On the first visit, we ask for the “feed me” selection that begins with antipasti. Doorstop slices of house-made focaccia are torn into chunks to top with salami and strips of roasted capsicum. Pillowy little dumplings of “naked” ricotta and spinach ravioli come stripped of their pasta skins and slathered in tomato sugo.
Crumbed croquettes of potato and cheese are so light it’s a wonder they stay on the plate, while another version featuring eggplant isn’t far behind. A “peperonata” that includes onions and wedges of potato is a bit like eating leftovers from last night’s roast, no bad thing in itself but they would be more enjoyable warm.
Valentino’s Roman-style pizza al taglio is a must, its crisp, caramelised base and chewy, puffed top helping to dispel any misplaced notion that this street food is somehow inferior to the Neapolitan tradition. The “funghi” is particularly awesome, with its ’shrooms both roasted and pickled, a smattering of truffle paste and blobs of ricotta cream.
It’s so good, in fact, that we order it again on a second visit to check out an expanded dinner menu, including made-to-order pastas and grilled meats.
DeMarco’s expertise from Borsa shows in a bowl of tagliatelle with clumps of crumbled Italian sausage, a flicker of chilli heat, a few leaves of basil and a light, oil-based sauce without tomato. It will be even better when the bitter green rape is available so it can be made as listed. The saltimbocca kicks goals as well, with a trio of proper veal escalopes, thin layer of pancetta, fresh sage and a wine sauce enriched with a final sprinkle of grated pecorino.
Want to bring workers back to the city? Take them to Valentino’s, hand them a slice of that pizza and a glass of barbera. It’s a fair chance that staying at home won’t seem so attractive.
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