South of the broadway, almost at its outskirts, you find many isolated restaurants. On a missed lunch appointment in another restaurant in the area, the Italian restaurant La Nonna came by as good alternative. Brick and wood of an opaque brown colour do not make it bright and it is not an easy spot to find if it wasn't for the green dwarf pine trees on the outside.
One of many long-standing Italian restaurants in Wimbledon, La Nonna presents itself as a smart but casual place to eat with a nice colonnade of red bricks and a nice display of paintings and kitchen tools in the form of artwork. Not too much in the eye. There is some sort of veranda where the large windows open but there is no outside dining.
Menu was standard, not too short or too long, and there was the usual display of Italian dishes: antipasti, pasta, pizza and then meat or fish. Linguine alle vongole veraci and gnocchi alla salsiccia where the ones jumping out of the traditional menu stereotype. Choice of wine was good and adequate.
The bruschetta we ordered was standard was bland and not punchy. Same disappointment with the pizzas: whatever the flavour, they were bland and not well seasoned, with a very hard, dry and crunchy pizza dough. The salmon, the linguine alle vongole veraci and gnocchi alla salsiccia were the only winners. The salmon was salty but had a good counter balance of balsamic vinegar; the fishy and tomato-ey sauce of the linguine was quite oily but not overpowering and well-prepared. The gnocchi was quite heavy but savoury and delicious - yet, recommended in colder weather.
Staff was friendly and the service was good. Setting was calm and relaxing at lunch time, probably perfect for a quiet lunch. Nothing overboard in quality and presentation, rather static and within expectations. We would recommend it for a business meal or a quiet meal with friends who fancy the non-pizza side of Italian cuisine!
Our verdict is as follows:
Quality of Food 3.83
Hygiene 4.33
Value for Money 3.67
Speed of Service 4.67
Quality of Service 4.50
Ambience & décor 3.33
La Nonna gets an overall rating of 81.1%
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