Set amongst the trendy surrounds of Wimbledon Village, Italian restaurant Piccolino fits right in amongst its chic neighbours.

The Venue
Stylish and classy, Piccolino is split over two floors with the restaurant upstairs and a bar downstairs. The bar is fitted out in sophisticated and cool stainless steel mixed with wooden features while you can sit and watch chefs hard at work in the kitchen with an open-fire pizza oven in the background. Wander upstairs to find red leather seating and a sea of cute yellow lamps hanging from the ceiling.

The Atmosphere
While there’s almost a fine-dining feel to Piccolino, it comes with a real homely and casualness about it that makes you feel warm and welcome rather than stiff and formal. The waiters are all very friendly and as they chatter to one another in Italian, you get a real feeling of authenticity.

The Food
Piccolino offers ample portions of gorgeous, fresh Italian food. You just need to try the basket of bread to appreciate this - it’s warm and soft and too tempting to fill up on before you start your meal. The Antipasto Misto platter for starters offers a mix of powerful flavours that are balanced out with more subtle tastes including a strong and salty prosciutto that’s wrapped around a fresh slice of melon, crispy bruschetta that’s topped with delectable goat’s cheese and spicy bell peppers filled with a tuna – unfortunately the heat of the pepper overpowers the filling. The baby tomatoes served with mozzarella and basil taste fresh and delicious while the rice fritter are balls fried to just-right crispiness without being oily.

Moving onto the mains, the lamb shank, or Agnello Arosto, is cooked so beautifully, the slow-roasted meat just falls off the bone; however, the flavours of the sauce are too salty and overpoweringly rich, making it a feat to finish the whole thing. The chicken with wild mushrooms comes with gnocchi that’s got a pleasant superb texture that’s tender to the bite, while the creamy garlic sauce has a lovely mushroom-flavoured softness to it. If a meat feast is too much for you to handle, the menu also offers a vast range of pasta and pizza dishes to sink your teeth into. The raspberry sorbet for dessert is delightfully tart and, while most places just offer just a scoop or two, the serving is huge and comes presented in a glass that’s fit for a sundae.

The Drink
Keeping to its Italian roots, the wine list sticks primarily to wines from Italian regions, where there are plenty of grapes to choose from. If you’re after a white, you shouldn’t pass up the Pinot Grigio from the Trentino region, with its fruity and crisp flavours. A few bottles from other countries, including Spain and France, are also on offer and bottles start from around £14.

The Last Word
An Italian indulgence of the most satisfying kind, it’s obvious the team at Piccolino love food.

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