For those food enthusiasts “in the know,” Vallebona is more than a trattoria. It’s an insider’s invitation to experience the very best ingredients curated by a legacy importer and supplier to top tier Michelin-rated kitchens. Travel Editor Michelle Mullen steps inside to uncover the Italian-Japanese story behind one of Wimbledon’s most beloved – and best-kept – culinary secrets.
A Legacy of Excellence in an Iconic Setting
Located on Wimbledon Village High Street in a Grade II, Victorian firehouse, you’ll find this exceptional establishment mixes restaurant, wine bar, and deli seamlessly. Juxtaposed with its warm terracotta brick façade, the interior has been newly redesigned, a collaboration with Sherliker Design. Available for purchase, you’ll find imported specialties hand-picked and supplied to restaurants including Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester, Le Gavroche, The River Café, Bocca di Lupo, Trinity and Petersham Nurseries.
A Fusion of Two Worlds
Given Vallebona’s 100+ year history (founded in Italy in 1890 and established in the UK since 1997), you won’t be surprised to find Italian wines and cheeses of the highest quality. However, alongside dried pastas and jars of bright red passatas, you’ll discover Japanese-inspired delicacies too. Made exclusively for their home label, TABLE Vallebona, you’ll find yuzu kosho (think wasabi hot), soy sauce, bottles of sake and more. This unique fusion mirrors the owners’: Stefano Vallebona from Sardinia and his wife Naoko’s Japanese heritage.
Vallebona packs a lot into their intimate setting while maintaining a cosy and welcoming vibe. Inside the front door, you’re greeted by their new seating for 12 at a marble countertop. All the meal preparation happens in full view here, part of the benefit of sitting in the front of the house.
In the chilled larder to the right, cheeses and cured meats sit alongside fresh breads and bottles of wine and sake; everything you’d need to assemble an enviable picnic for Henman Hill (Murray Mound, depending on your favourite tennis era) at the All England Lawn Tennis Club. Or if you’d rather leave the prep work to Vallebona, be sure to book your table now for the fortnight of Wimbledon Championships.
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Moving deeper within Vallebona, you’ll find jars of specialty ingredients to experiment with at home. Thoughtfully, they’ve printed recipe cards on how best to use your purchase. In keeping with their dual heritage, you’ll discover traditional Japanese pottery, tea sets and robes. The main dining area is homey and inviting with a vaulted ceiling, exposed beams and brick, which leads to al fresco dining on the patio, perfect for embracing the warmer weather.
An Insider’s Menu, Curated with Care
As the light pours in through the front window, my guest and I settle at the counter for a most pleasant, leisurely lunch hour, complete with personalized service from Naoko Vallebona herself. Fully trusting Naoko’s expertise, we gave her carte blanche on our menu choices and wine pairings. We started with a lovely prosecco to complement our first course of locally sourced Moxton’s smoked salmon, sprinkled with black sesame seeds, a creative addition to Japanese culinary tradition. The slightly smoky, silky salmon was delectable on its own, but when laid on top of a smear of decadent cream cheese spread onto a rosemary, Parmesan cracker, the flavours reminiscent of the best New York deli-style bite.
Naoko brought out a large charcuterie board consisting of a Sardinian salami saldo and an air-dried speck, Testun de Barolo (cheese aged in a wine barrel), and a Robiola Tre Latti (three milks – cows, sheep, and goat). To break up the richness, bold Calabrian olives and two types of locally sourced bread round out the board. Naoko suggested A Mano Primitivo, 2023 vintage, to complement our board.
The standout flavour for us lies in a little spoon centered on the board as the star component; it is an inspired twist developed by Stefano to combine the traditional condiment of nori tsukudani (seaweed simmered in soy sauce to a jam-like consistency) with a subtle touch of sweetness to create a chutney. The chutney’s umami pairs perfectly with the meats and especially the rich, gooey robiola (think the softest brie and go softer!) Many charcuterie boards are predictable, but this mixture of delicacies is the epitome of Vallebona’s genius by combining these two cultural cuisines.
Last came a delectable Margherita pizza with a flatbread-style sourdough crust baked to an incredibly crunchy bite. The thin crust holds up under the toppings offering a base on which to balance the freshness of the tomato, fontina’s creaminess to the sharp rocket offset by the drizzle of balsamic sweetness. While this pizza can be shared, due to its light crust, one could also easily polish it off on their own.
Vallebona: Simple Ingredients, Extraordinary Results
Vallebona’s philosophy, written on top of their menu, says it all: they’re a family-owned Vineria, a casual restaurant rooted in the Italian tradition of generous hospitality and simple, beautiful food. That relaxed, welcoming attitude comes across in their service, the menu and deli offerings. Vallebona is the place where the locals go to procure the best meals with the highest quality ingredients; and when you have this echelon of components, simplicity is all that’s needed. My guest and I left feeling like we’d been hosted at a friend’s home, embraced by the warmth of the atmosphere, bellies happy.
