Valentino Salvi

The Path

Italian cooking at Aida - vino e cucina in Istanbul, Turkey is built on discipline, and Valentino Salvi is the Executive Chef responsible for keeping that standard legible on the plate. The restaurant’s Michelin Bib Gourmand recognition in 2024 and again in 2025 places his work in a frame of consistency, while his own emphasis stays fixed on a single craft point: dough.

The Work Today

Dough is the clearest measure of Salvi’s kitchen language at Aida - vino e cucina. Valentino Salvi describes it without hedging: “I can confidently say that at Aida we serve one of the best doughs in the world in the fresh pasta category.” That kind of statement reads less like promotion than a working brief, naming the part of the craft he treats as non-negotiable. In a field where attention often gets scattered across many markers of finesse, Salvi keeps the emphasis on the foundational. His line — “I do not compromise on dough. Our dough is truly exceptional.” — makes the standard plain. At Aida - vino e cucina, that restraint becomes part of the restaurant’s identity, and the Bib Gourmand recognition in 2024 and 2025 registers as confirmation that consistency and precision are doing the real work.

Signature

Valentino’s signature dishes show a kitchen working through contrast rather than excess. Red onion tarte-tatin, gorgonzola mousse and cooked pears uses sweetness and savor in the same frame; Sheep neck risotto, mandarin, rosemary fondue leans into depth and aromatic lift; and Broth of porcini mushrooms, chestnuts, radishes and mini pak choi is built around warmth, woodland notes, and freshness. Taken together, the dishes point to a chef who values balance, texture, and clear structure.

In Their Words “I can confidently say that at Aida we serve one of the best doughs in the world in the fresh pasta category.” “I do not compromise on dough. Our dough is truly exceptional.”

Acclaim

Michelin Bib Gourmand recognition in 2024, and again in 2025, marks Aida - vino e cucina as a restaurant where consistency is part of the appeal. For Valentino Salvi, that recognition sits alongside a defined technical priority: keeping dough at the center of the standard, and treating it as a measure of the kitchen’s overall discipline.