Founded in Italy in 1890 and established in the UK in 1997, Vallebona has supplied restaurants including Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester, Le Gavroche, The River Café, Bocca di Lupo, Trinity and Petersham Nurseries.
The new format offers coffee, lunch and evening meals, bringing the store’s produce directly to customers, allowing a closer view of the preparation.
Created in collaboration with Sherliker Design, the refreshed interior integrates a deli, retail and wine bar within a compact space.
The counter faces the preparation area, allowing guests to observe dishes being made and in the evening, the space transitions to candlelight service with an increased focus on wine and longer meals.
The menu reflects founder Stefano Vallebona’s Sardinian heritage alongside Japanese influences from his wife, Naoko.
Rather than a fixed tasting format, it features a selection of favourite dishes from across the store, prepared using the same cheeses, charcuterie and specialist imports supplied to its wholesale and restaurant clients.
Dishes include kombu risotto made with kombu sourced from Japan; gyoza filled with sheep’s ricotta and lemon zest served with truffle soy; porchetta with miso using yellow miso from Gifu Prefecture; and karaage chicken marinated in Japanese soy. An Italian cheese and charcuterie selection changes daily, served with artisan breads and condiments including seaweed chutney and truffle honey.
Cocktails feature Berto negroni from Turin, premixed and barrel-aged in Italy, and an Aperitivo Spritz Berto. The wine list comprises hundreds of bottles from small producers, including wines from the Dolomites and Mount Etna, with a focus on Brunello, Barolo and lesser-known Italian grape varieties. Vallebona applies a flat £20 margin to the shelf price across the list.
The venue operates Wednesday from 11am to 8pm and Thursday to Sunday from 11am to 10pm, with the 12-seat counter available to book while also reserving space for walk-ins.