Where: Polpo, SohoWith who: The Literary Lady
How much: £75 for the pair of us. More food than we could cope with (almost) and a bottle and a half of a very acceptable house red.
Come here if: you don't care when you eat and you're catching up with an old, loud mate. No reservations in the evening creates a buzzy bar, but isn't ideal if you're hungry or used to eating at an exact time.
I've talked about the concept behind Polpo before, in a rather overexcited review of younger sibling Polpetto. In a nutshell, it's a cosy, busy, reservation free joint selling Venetian tapas, known as chiccetti, a combination of meats, fish and vegetables served with bread or polenta.
Decorwise, it's got that Soho House style shabby chic look down to pat. low light from bare bulbs and simple furniture bely the thought that has gone into the joint. The staff are friendly and surprisingly relaxed considering the unruly mash of drinkers and diners crammed into their tiny bar space. A smatter of seats aside the bar are the best in the house, keeping you cozily ensconced in the amiable bar crowd. It's not a place for the shrinking violet. The Literary Lady and I are certainly no violets but we struggled to make ourselves heard at times. Like little brother Polpetto, this is definitely somewhere to come and meet and mingle and if you grab a bite, then it's a result. The atmosphere is key to the experience.
But what of the food? There was a fair amount of it that grabbed us on the throwaway paper menus, and plenty of tasty morsels certain to soak up a lovely big Sagiovese, well priced for house at £16.50. We went for five plates to start and added another two on at the end, greedily tempted by a neighbouring order. Garlicky mushrooms served in a rather dry flatbread was so-so tasty, but no more than you'd expect from a student dinner party. For me, a duff note came with another student standby, sparse handful of garlic prawns, part shelled, in an insipid tomato and bean sauce.
More positive notes came with thick slices of pork belly, tenderly braised and meltingly sweet with hazelnuts and the edge of radicchio. Mackerel tartare is a favourite on the menu, winter and summer, cut through with a horseradish cream, it's a pleasing combination and provides contrast to the meatier dishes. Their polpetta, gamey and (slightly too) salty meatballs are great winter beer fodder but not too sophisticated. The duck ragu was another welcome winter warmer, served with wormlike fingers of strozzapetti pasta and the bite of green peppercorns. Not 'posh nosh' as such, but simple and pleasing.
Decorwise, it's got that Soho House style shabby chic look down to pat. low light from bare bulbs and simple furniture bely the thought that has gone into the joint. The staff are friendly and surprisingly relaxed considering the unruly mash of drinkers and diners crammed into their tiny bar space. A smatter of seats aside the bar are the best in the house, keeping you cozily ensconced in the amiable bar crowd. It's not a place for the shrinking violet. The Literary Lady and I are certainly no violets but we struggled to make ourselves heard at times. Like little brother Polpetto, this is definitely somewhere to come and meet and mingle and if you grab a bite, then it's a result. The atmosphere is key to the experience.
But what of the food? There was a fair amount of it that grabbed us on the throwaway paper menus, and plenty of tasty morsels certain to soak up a lovely big Sagiovese, well priced for house at £16.50. We went for five plates to start and added another two on at the end, greedily tempted by a neighbouring order. Garlicky mushrooms served in a rather dry flatbread was so-so tasty, but no more than you'd expect from a student dinner party. For me, a duff note came with another student standby, sparse handful of garlic prawns, part shelled, in an insipid tomato and bean sauce.
More positive notes came with thick slices of pork belly, tenderly braised and meltingly sweet with hazelnuts and the edge of radicchio. Mackerel tartare is a favourite on the menu, winter and summer, cut through with a horseradish cream, it's a pleasing combination and provides contrast to the meatier dishes. Their polpetta, gamey and (slightly too) salty meatballs are great winter beer fodder but not too sophisticated. The duck ragu was another welcome winter warmer, served with wormlike fingers of strozzapetti pasta and the bite of green peppercorns. Not 'posh nosh' as such, but simple and pleasing.
Simple and pleasing is often the best - who wants fancy and unsatisfying??
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