Rome sweet Rome: Valentina boasts a deli, restaurant and ‘tapas’ bar

A humdrum south London office block overlooking a bus stop may not be the easiest location in which to recreate a slice of la bella Italia, but Putney’s ­Valentina makes a pretty good stab at it.

An offshoot of a smaller place up the road in East Sheen, Valentina combines a delicatessen, restaurant and spuntino bar (Italian tapas to you and me). ­Despite the unattractive setting, this new spot looks pretty welcoming. Downstairs is a seamless mix of cafe and store festooned with hanging hams, while upstairs a bright, loungey dining room comes ­accessorised with a pair of Vespas.

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The whole place has a faintly clinical but cheerful look – one that, with its deep blue awnings, white walls and mix of deli and dining, looks very much like another, more famous Italian chain (clue: it begins with a “C” and ends with “arluccio’s”).

The food’s not bad, either, with a menu that tends ­toward the more substantial end of Italian cookery, with steaks, lamb chops and a south Mediterranean take on bread-and-butter pudding.

My starter of cold meats was as good as it should be for a restaurant above a deli, with tender cured ham and intense herb-crusted ­salami. Less successful was a main of tagliatelle and pork meatballs, baked in a ball of speck ham and served with ragu. It looked impressive but the itsy-bitsy amount of too-soft tagliatelle was overpowered by its lake of rich slop.

Desserts are arguably too heavy to follow such hefty mains, though the tiramisu was a satisfyingly unsoggy version of the classic. A ­respectable, if not mould-breaking sort of place, then, but one ­distinguished by eager, friendly service. Putney ­locals may find ­themselves making ­Valentina their second home.

Valentina, 75 Upper Richmond Road, SW15 2SP, 020 8877 9906 Tube: East Putney Meal for Two: £65

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