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| - I knew I had to try this place right after I saw that the former restaurant "Gateways of India" closed down and signs for "Valens - opening soon" were put up. They had been opened for less than a week when I walked in for a meal. I'm a big fan of the general feel of Baldwin Village restaurants and had high hopes for this.
Upon entering it's easy to spot that this meal was not going to be cheap, the place looks very nice and clean, not too large, Italian-like wall deco and a fully stocked bar at the end of the dining space.
Now to their menu, they have a big selection of food from all sorts of cuisine types! You can start off with a Hungarian soup, Italian appetizers and end up with Indian, Chinese, Italian or something off their salads/wraps and grill options!
I'm always a little hesitant to be too excited by the large variety and this time I didn't feel any different. I went with their Soup of the day a beef goulash (the only soup option they have, also the cheapest appetizer item at $5) and their Shanghai Kung Pao noodle dish (both pictured) for $15. Most menu items were on the range of $14 - $19
I have to say that I was not overly impressed with either item. They were both good, but I was expecting more, and the main dish was in a bath of sauce. Very filling though I might add!
For being in a street that provides good food at a reasonable cost, Valens really needed to be great for it to stand out for me. But at the same time, Baldwin is full of restaurants stuck on just one type of cuisine, so a new joint that has a bit of everything (no sushi, but that's not a bad thing since it's Baldwin) might be just what Baldwin Village needs for those indecisive
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