A new hole in the wall in Southfields is offering a glimpse of southern Italy. And we mean a glimpse: La Finestra is simply a window, from which owner Stefano Liantonio serves focaccia sandwiches heaped with traditional Italian cured meats, cheeses and plump, oil-preserved vegetables.
Puglian-born Liantonio spent a decade in London’s hospitality industry, working his way from polishing glasses as a barback to becoming general manager of Canary Wharf bar Electric Shuffle, before deciding it was time to go out on his own. “I come from a background where my family has always had their own business,” he tells Broadsheet. “So I wanted my own [business] in the industry I love: hospitality.”
He saw a gap in Southfields. “You’ve got lots of fried chicken, kebabs and fish’n’chips, which are not the healthiest options. We felt something was missing in Southfields, so we decided to bring something new.”
To order, customers ring a novel service bell that sits on the windowsill – what Liantonio calls “the window to paradise”. Inside, he builds sandwiches on the same soft, olive oil-rich focaccia he grew up eating in Puglia. The 12 flavour combinations include classic Italian ingredients such as ventricina (a spicy salami), mortadella, speck, mozzarella, burrata, gorgonzola, rocket and grilled artichokes.
Liantonio’s personal pick is number six: the Notte Pugliese. It’s a combination of parma ham, grilled artichoke, burrata and truffle cream. “Altogether, it’s literally paradise in your mouth,” he says.
There’ll soon be specials, too, with new sandwich drops every month. “We’re launching a beef sandwich next month, and we’re thinking about doing something with tuna as well.”
To drink, expect Birra Moretti, Beavertown’s Neck Oil IPA, and your classic Coke, Sprite and Fanta. And though La Finestra only opened a little over a month ago, Liantonio says we may soon find more windows across the city. “We think La Finestra has a lot of potential.”
La Finestra
270 Merton Road, SW18 5JN
Hours:
Daily 11am–7pm
