About the Chef

Born and raised in Puglia, Valentina's culinary career began in Rome where, remaining loyal to her roots, she started her training in a Pugliese restaurant in the capital. Two years on and her curiosity took her to London where she started working under the wing of Chef Theo Randall, famed for earning River Café it's first Michelin star as head chef. Valentina today still works under Randall as his Senior Chef de Partie, at his flagship restaurant in the Intercontinental. 

Valentina's dream has always been to "share the history of my region through a selection of dishes that come from Puglia's gastronomic heritage, passed down from generation to generation and using only artisanal produce coming from local producers whose methods have remained the same for hundreds of years."

Menu

Scagliozzi
bramata polenta fritta, served with prosecco

Handmade focaccia Pugliese
Apulian olive oil (2018), rosemary & cherry tomato, black olive, Sub Appennino Dauno oregano

Millefeuille di parmigiana
with grilled aubergine, Caciovallo Podolico cheese, basil

Handmade orecchiette di grano arso
with rocket pesto, cream, datterini confit, pine nut

Fave e polpo or Fave e Cicoria
octopus (opt) or Italian dandelion, Carpino broadbeans, garlic bread croutons

Ricotta & caramelised pear tart
with sablé biscuit

Cartellate
Pugliese winter petits fours dressed in Vin Cotto, hazelnuts, chocolate flakes

Paired cocktail: The Negroni with Sabatini gin

*Vin Cotto is produced from the must of any of the local varieties of grapes, heated in a copper vessel until reduced to a half or third of its original volume, and then fermented. It can be aged for years and is used always as dressing for sweets.

*grano arso - literally meaning burnt grain - is a product that was born out of the abject poverty that typified rural areas in Italy during the 19th century. Peasants would grind the grain into flour and mix it with water to produce pasta with a smokey flavor.