Top 5 for Wimbledon

San Lorenzo is no place to take a sickly wallet.

10 April 2012

Most Wimbledonians will have bolted to their house in the country as the tennis approaches. Given the profile of the residents it's a surprise there aren't more top-flight restaurants. Still, here are five places to eat well during the fabled fortnight.

San Lorenzo Fuoriporta Worple Road Mews, SW19 (020-8946 8463). Mon-Sun £120***Like its relative in Beauchamp Place, San Lorenzo Wimbledon is no place to take a sickly wallet. It's a glitzy sort of operation with plenty of slightly old-fashioned style. The residents of SW19 use it as a local trattoria and revel in the trad Italian dishes which trade on familiarity rather than authenticity. Good pizzas and a very good chance of sharing the dining room with someone famous from the world of tennis, particularly if you are eager to break bread with trainers, agents or money men.
Light House 75-77 Ridgeway, SW19 (020-8944 6338). Mon-Sun £70***When it comes to modernism, the Light House has pretty much cornered the market as far as Wimbledon is concerned. The restaurant opened towards the end of 1999 and has always 'pushed the envelope'. The menu is set out in straightforward Italian style, with the occasional fusion of Japanese and Spanish - antipasti, primi, secondi and so forth, but dishes range from tempura soft-shell crab to broccoli and Taleggio ravioli. Best of all this place feels light, bright and comfortable, while the service is friendly. A local hero.
The Fire Stables27-29 Church Road, SW19 (020-8946 3197). Mon-Sun £40**The Fire Stables is an old-timer for a gastropub as it opened in the far-off mists of 2001. The menu changes daily and the food is well presented and reasonably priced. Duck spring rolls may come with teriyaki dressing, and there may be a risotto, or slow-roast belly pork or stuffed leg of rabbit wrapped in prosciutto. On Saturday there is brunch and on Sunday a pukka roast lunch.
Calcutta Notebook201 Replingham Road, SW18 (020-8874 6603). Tue-Sun £40The folk who live in Replingham Road are lucky enough to have Sarkhel's (one of London's Top 10 Indian restaurants) as their local. They are also lucky that chef Udit Sarkhel is constantly looking for new challenges, so they also have Calcutta Notebook. This is a small restaurant occupying the shop next door to head office. The name comes from the notebook in which Sarkhel jotted down his mother and grandmother's home-style Bengali recipes. Terrific and unfamiliar dishes - just ask and leave the choosing to the Sarkhel family.

Dalchini

147 Arthur Road, Wimbledon Park, SW19 (020-8947 5966). £55

Prices estimate the cost of a meal for two with wine

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