Without a little guidance, you might not find the place. Thankfully Landison thought of that and have a waitress to meet you on the 25th floor where the main lifts let you out. Round the corner there is another tiny lift that takes you up to the 26th and 27th floors. The layout of the restaurant is a little weird, cant put my finger on why, but at least there is a still a smoking section.

Some menus leave you stuck with what to choose because you want to eat it all, and some leave you hard pressed to pick anything because for one reason or the other, you don’t want anything on it. Valentino’s definitely falls in the latter category of the two. First courses offer a fair show: soups, a range of differing antipasti, couple of salads. We opted to share a couple of the antipasti – a meaty one and a fishy one. Both were good, served with good bread. The problem comes with the main course. Pasta, pizza and steak to choose from. There is some grilled fish too, but the MP in the price column always makes me a little worried. Of course, if you are in the mood for a bowl of pasta, that is great, although the one I make at home is pretty good too. The steak is expensive with many of the cuts well into 300RMB, which frankly, is unnecessary these days. After much deliberation, I chose a Lobster Risotto and my friend a minestrone soup. The lobster was small – probably illegal in some countries and rice quite salt. The wine list offered nothing much very unique looking, except for the pricing which favoured the restaurant.

The piano was tinkling away in the background, lighting good and service attentive without being in your face.

I do not pretend to be an experienced restaurant critic and so I have no idea why this place just doesn’t quite do it. Perhaps simply a lack of joie de vivre?

Valentino’s Italian Restaurant | 26th Floor, Landison Hotel, 333 Tiyuchang Road, Hangzhou.

Verdict? Not at all bad. Big range of foods – carbonara was little too creamy (original raw egg and no cream always the best), thin sliced minute steak pink and juicy. It was kinda still morning, so the poached eggs and sausage seemed to fit the bill. Sashimi, pork spare ribs, fried cod. All good filling Sunday after the Saturday grub.

Included is a glass of sparkling wine, fruit juices and soft drinks. Oh. And the waitress double checked that I booked.

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I was down in the hood smoking d’ crack
When the coppers broke in and grabbed d’sac
So I punched him d’face and told him d’rules
For coppers d aint no buffet at D’Cafe

Seriously though. D’Cafe isn’t actually a hotdog place in the Projects. Far from it. With the marble clad reception of the Dragon Hotel large enough to park a whole NBA teams’s worth of Hummers this place is more fitting to be seen drinking Crystal Champagne than chasing the dragon. With all this awe and glory and chandelier on the way in, it is slightly surprising that D’Cafe isn’t done up to the nines as well. This restaurant is simply comfortable, with a huge amount of light coming in the floor to ceiling glass walls, leaving views of the gardens outside. Coming in from busy dirty Hangda Road, the peace and simple clean lines and light of this dining room is perhaps the restaurant’s greatest success.

We had a table for 18 people booked for 11am Sunday Brunch. Traipsing in at 11 or 11.15 we were greeted by every single member of staff, of which there is a veritable gang, every which one of whom wanted to ask about the weather, enquire where I was going, say hello, Welcome, have I been the the new Dragon before that by the time I made it across the foyer and around the Veranda Restaurant to D’Cafe, I was out of breath from replying to all the pleasantries. All sweet and polite but doesn’t a nod and smile suffice?

And after all the niceties we get to business: claiming our 11am booking.
“So sorry Sir, but the restaurant doesn’t open until 11.30am,” said the receptionist
“But we have an 11am booking”
“Yes Sir, I know”
“Nobody thought to warn us that we wouldn’t be allowed into the dining room until 11.30?” Without an invitation to take a table, we sat in the hall.

Gigantic is a word that Dragon seems to have taken to heart. There is a gigantic amount of money being spent on the renovation. The hotel is gigantic with 500 rooms and 2 serviced apartment blocks; D’Cafe is gigantic; and you guessed it, the spread of food is gigantic. But it isn’t laid out very well, pretty but not very logical. And very Chinese choices to eat. Nothing wrong with that, but I was hoping for some good sunday brunch goodness. Fish bar is the best in town without a doubt, with oysters galore, huge crab legs, mussels and more. Roast beef, if you could find it nestled amongst the bread section, was pretty tasty too. There’s a parma ham to slice (mangle) yourself, a chocolate fountain and then of course all the Asian stuff. Gigantic too is the wine list, pages of it all at surprisingly low prices.

I am sure I will be back at D’Cafe. I might not choose it myself, but while there are free-flow oysters included in the 140Y set buffet, somebody will want to go.

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70-80Y after service, and combined with a beer it isnt the cheapest dinner in town, but the restaurant is comfortable and warm, service is attentive without over-doing it, and it is the Oakwood. And one of the best burgers in Hangzhou. Probably worth it once in a while.

After dinner, wander over the passage to the bar. Leather chairs, flat screen satellite TV, and beers much cheaper than they should be.

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