Sandwiched between East Putney tube station and a Somerfield, Valentina Putney is the second outpost of this family owned Italian delicatessen and restaurant, the original, much smaller sibling is located in East Sheen and has built up a loyal following since its opening in 1991.

Our reservation was for 1pm on a sunny Saturday afternoon, through no fault of the restaurants’ we were seated late as in order to reach the dining area located on the 1st floor you have to walk through the enticing deli. We were distracted at length by the tantalizing selection of oils, vinegars, fresh breads, cheeses and cold meats sitting alongside more obscure jars of Italian antipasti, an assortment of wonderful wines, Italian liqueurs and various homemade dishes for you to take away and enjoy at home.

The 1st floor restaurant includes a terrace which was packed with people enjoying the sunshine on our arrival so we were seated in the restaurant by the window overlooking Upper Richmond Road. Our helpful waitress offered us one of the tables outside which became available soon after our arrival but we choose to stay indoors.

We shared a starter of Antipasto della casa Valentina (£7.50), consisting of several slices of deliciously tender Parma ham and three different types of salami, all mouth-watering even though they had been draped over slightly wilted lettuce which was presumably purely for decoration as it didn’t look very appetising. The obligatory selection of fresh bread with olive oil and balsamic vinegar was also good.

There is an impressively lengthy Italian wine list with a vast selection of bottles available at a modest mark up of £4.95 on the ground floor deli retail price. The choice of wines sold by the glass however is limited, we tried a crisp and easy to drink Pinot Grigio which was priced at £4.95 for the glass.

For mains we ordered the gnocchi with homemade pork sausage in a tomato sauce, the gnocchi had a good consistency and were well cooked, the sausage was laced with a delicious hint of fennel seeds. There was a sparse sprinkling of parmesan cheese, disappointingly we weren’t offered any extra. My partner chose the veal scaloppina with potatoes, artichoke and roast tomatoes in a white wine sauce, the meat was tender and the white wine sauce satisfyingly zingy.

To round off our meal we had a homemade tiramisu which was served in a cappuccino cup, a nice touch, the mandatory cocoa dusting was covered in sugar which wasn’t to my taste but apart from that I enjoyed it. An authentic illy espresso completed our meal.

Overall our lunch was pleasant, the service friendly and efficient, however it’s not mould breaking and lacks the wow factor, for that reason we probably wouldn’t make the trip out to East Putney again. Nevertheless if you live locally I would highly recommend a visit, just make sure you give yourself plenty of time to browse the marvellous deli.

Monday	Open 08:00 - Closes 22:30
Tuesday	Open 08:00 - Closes 22:30
Wednesday	Open 08:00 - Closes 22:30
Thursday	Open 08:00 - Closes 22:30
Friday	Open 08:00 - Closes 22:30
Saturday	Open 08:00 - Closes 22:30
Sunday	Open 09:00 - Closes 22:30

Valentina

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