Polpo (Italian) – London, England
Oct 19th, 2009 by admin
I was in Venice for only one day last year, which left no time to explore the local bacari or traditional taverns of the city. It was also so overrun with tourists that I was quite happy to return to Bologna at the end of the day. However, a bacaro by the name of Polpo has conveniently arrived in central London, just a short walk away from my office.
The interior is simple but cosy and after a few drinks, you could quite well imagine yourself in Venice rather than Soho. All the diners were clearly pleased to have secured tables at this popular eaterie, while others seemed content to wait their turn near the bar (where you can also eat). The place is dimly lit and although great for ambience, for the first time, my poor camera struggled to cope.
The menu consists of a selection of traditional cicheti, the Venetian version of tapas, as well as other smallish-sized dishes, all designed for sharing. It’s not a complicated menu, but still, important decisions had to be made. My friend and I thought we would be able to manage the following between us:
From the Cicheti & Crostini section, we ordered the potato & Parmesan croquette (£1.20), salt cod on grilled polenta (£2.10), arancini (£1.50) and anchovy & chickpea crostini (£1.10). These are all very small, so if you’re in a group, order plenty to share. Out of these, I thought I would enjoy the salt cod the most (first photo), but in fact the simple and flavoursome anchovy and chickpea crostini turned out to be the star dish from this selection.
The wild mushroom piadina (£4.80) from the Breads section was another successful choice. I had an unforgettable piadina from a small piadina shop in Marina di Ravenna nearly a year ago. The wrap was thicker and more doughy, and the piadina was eaten using one’s hands, but the Polpo version was still pretty good. I would also have liked to have tried cured pork shoulder & peperonata panino, but the meat and fish were waiting for us…
The polpette (£4.60) were far better than the ones I’ve had in Bologna (Trattoria Meloncello, famous for its polpette) – solid, meaty and rich in flavour. There were three large meatballs per portion, and a good size for two people to share, although I could happily have eaten the lot on my own. I was, however, a little disappointed with the pork belly, radicchio & hazelnuts (£5.50), particularly as I’d just had the perfect pork belly the night before at Pearl Liang.
Cuttlefish in its ink with gremolata (£6.20) and fritto misto (£6.60) was chosen from the fish section. I much preferred the succulent cuttlefish to the fritto misto, although the latter was light and delicate compared to versions I’ve had elsewhere. The slightly bitter turnip tops with chilli & garlic (£3.80) also deserve a special mention. It could almost be a Chinese dish in fact, and made a perfect accompaniment to the various meat and fish dishes.
Desserts were strangely underwhelming, and I think next time, I’d order extra savoury dishes rather than leave room for these. The serving of gorgonzola with pear (£4.90) was minute, while my ciamballa with chocolate (£3.50), a traditional ring cake from Romagna, was described as a kind of lemon sponge cake, but I couldn’t really taste the lemon under the chocolate. I’ll be investigating ciambelle recipes from my copy of The Silver Spoon in the near future and report back.
Overall, my favourites of the evening were the polpette, turnip tops, cuttlefish and anchovy & chickpea crostini. I enjoyed the ambience, very much appreciated the cheerful, friendly and relaxed wait staff and thought Polpo could be the perfect place to hang out with friends once the excitement dies down (a little).
Dinner cost a little under £90 for two people with alcohol and service charge.
All the London restaurant reviews on World Foodie Guide
Contact details:
Polpo
41 Beak Street
London W1F 9SB
Tel: 020 7734 4479 (reservations by phone)
www.polpo.co.uk
Opening hours:
Monday to Saturday – 12:00 – 15:00, 18:00 – 23:00
Helen Yuet Ling Pang @ World Foodie Guide
I loved the food I got to sample in Venice and have had so much fun trying the recipes from there. Making the cuttlefish in its ink has been really tasty and such a dramatic presentation on the plate.
Polpo looks like a worthy substitute, and a reason to get back to Venice if only for comparison purposes =)
I agree about the awful crowds in Venice. But the bacari in Venice are really worth visiting. If you go back, check out Cantina di Mori – cross the Rialto bridge from the St. Mark’s side and it is within two blocks. There is a bacari right next door that made gorgeous balsamic cipollines. This place in London looks like a good substitute until you make it back over!
Oops…forgot to say great post! Looking forward to your next one.
How did you get your photos to look so good ? This place is a bit like marmite – so far people either like it or hate it.
Glad to hear you had a good experience.
I visited Venice in early December, for 4 days and it was perfect; cold sunshine, no tourists. One of my favourite places, so beautiful.
You managed to get some great pics Helen! I enjoyed most of what I had at Polpo last week too and I really like the atmosphere of the place. Love Venice, I went last May, it was sweltering and annoyingly busy but the food there is incredible. Glad we’ve got a little bit of it here in London now.
Hi Helen! This is encouraging. It is early days and I guess they are still settling in, judging from other reviews I have read recently. You’ve prompted me to dig out my copy of The Silver Spoon too!
Haven’t gotten to Polpo yet, and think I will wait for all of the social media and opening excitement to die down. Sounds like the food you had was pretty good overall, which is encouraging (seems likes it’s been a very mixed bag on the whole based on reviews I’ve read).
I love Venice’s bacaris and it is lovely having some well sourced and well prepared cicchetti over a glass of wine or two on a sunny afternoon. Akila is right that Cantina do Mori is one of the best. On a recent trip, I also discovered another good one, which is a bit off the beaten tourist path in Academia near the hotel we stayed at. It’s called Cantine del Vino gia Schiavi – it’s store front is actually the photo I use everywhere for my blog’s icon/avatar
.
Thanks for the review and photos.
Best regards,
LF
PS – oh, by the way, they also serve cicchetti, although probably much more expensive ones, at Cecconi’s in Mayfair…I did a small review of it a while back (http://wp.me/pwXBH-3A).
£3.80 for turnip tops?! They were listed for £5.80 the day we went, the day after you went! And then we got charged £4.80. Glad you had a good time but we certainly didn’t.
Hi Helen, this sounds like worth trying, not expensive at all. I was in Venice some time ago during off-peak season.I had two posts in my on Venice if you are interested, maybe for your furture visit?
OysterCulture – I must go back to Venice soon! There’s a restaurant that I read about, situated on one of the outlying islands, where you’re served course after course of fresh seafood…
Akila – thank you for the tip! Hope you guys are enjoying your travels – am monitoring my RSS feed…
Mr Noodles – I agree! I think it’s still a bit early to decide either way, being so new. I liked the dishes I mentioned at the end the most, while the others really weren’t a mention (except that I did mention them!)
Lizzie – no way! I was in Venice on a cold December day, and it was absolutely packed with tourists and tour groups. It really put me off the place. When I look at my photos (minus the tourists, luckily), I can see how beautiful it would be, particularly in winter…sniff.
Boo – thanks! Now I want to go back to Venice to have the real thing!
Niamh – yes, it does sound like things are a bit hit and miss at the moment. Wait until it calms down before going, I’d say. And in the meantime, there is the trusty The Silver Spoon!
Laissez Fare – thanks for the tips! And yes, do wait a while before visiting. I’ve only been to Cecconi’s for breakfast, so thanks for the link…
Su-Lin- yes, just read your review & Chris’ one too. I would have been really upset if I’d been there!
Gourmet Traveller 88 – oh thanks, I will definitely consult your blog before my next trip to Venice. As it was just a day trip, I didn’t really do any research (we were in Bologna for 6 days and all my time and energy was focused there!)
Helen Yuet Ling
Sounds rather good (with the exception of desserts!). Ack aren’t dark restaurants so hard!
Hi Helen – I also loved the polpetto here. I thought Polpo had quite a New York look about it, which is good for those craving a trip across the Atlantic. Glad you had a good experience there, like me!
It is very interesting to see how reviews about one place can be so differents from one blog to another. I’m happy you like the place and your review made me ad Polpo on my wishlist. However, I like the fact that people have different points of view about restaurants and food and that what makes this world so diverse and interesting.
Hope to have the chance to meet you soon
Mathilde
Sounds like you had a nicer experience than we did – perhaps they were still having teething problems when we were there (they’ve certainly sorted out the turnip top pricing since!). Love the pics…
Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella – totally agree! Each table should have its own little light for food bloggers to use, and reflectors too…
Greedy Diva – you must be one of the rare ones to have liked it here. I liked it too and am happy to give Polpo another chance as it’s still such early days!
Mathilde’s Cuisine – I thought that too, it sounds like we’ve been writing about different restaurants, from some of the blogs I’ve read! Enjoyment of food and individual dishes is such a personal and subjective thing though. Even being in a bad mood can affect the entire meal, as I’ve found…
alexthepink – thanks! Though I was there the night before you guys, so it sounds like it’s gone dramatically downhill since my dinner, in 24 hours. I’ll give it a while then wander back for a lunch perhaps.
Helen Yuet Ling
We went last month as a group of girls with a reservation (though now I think they don’t take reservations) The food was really great and service was sharp but it was definitely a bit cosy for a group (and I think much better as a night out for two). It’s always encouraging to know that other chefs/restauranteurs are eating there (we met some at the bar). I actually liked the Pork Belly and the beetroot. Wine seemed a bit dear though for a typical girls night (little moderation on the groups part but worth while)
Shiobe – I heard about the no reservations policy too. Thanks for the feedback on your meal. I hope to go back again soon…
Helen Yuet Ling