I had lunch this week with a couple of mates at the much talked about Polpo restaurant in Soho’s Beak Street. It’s an exciting new Italian tapas-style barcaro that is fast becoming the coolest place to eat in the West End.
On arrival we were told we’d have to wait 20 minutes or so for a table (you can’t book so I was kind of expecting this) but this wasn’t a massive problem, we were happy to have a couple of beers at the bar. Having said this it was somewhat irksome to stand supping Moretti next to an empty table laid for four. Anyway, it was worth the wait and when we took our seats the menu didn’t disappoint.
Made up of simple yet innovative small plates packed with flavour, Polpo’s menu was everything I’d hoped it would be. I instinctively took control of the situation and insisted we order everything from the meat section (eight dishes). My companions’ eyes widened and looked at me like I’d just suggested we continue the meal topless.
Now as a chef/food writer I could say that this bold gesture was purely in the name of research — and in part it was but I have to admit that it was mainly fuelled by good old-fashioned greed. I shot them a look back that said: don’t worry lads, I know what I’m doing.
Dishes like pork belly, radicchio and hazelnuts as well as the slow-roast duck with green peppercorns, black olives and tomatoes had me salivating in a way that in hindsight was slightly unattractive. But as I read on — calf’s liver with onions and sage as well as grilled sliced flank steak & flat mushrooms — I became increasingly unable to control my excitement.
My mates did agree to order all of the meat section (plus the mackerel tartare with cucumber and horseradish, roast potatoes & rosemary and the wild mushroom piadina) if I promised to calm down. I said I’d try.
The food arrived quite quickly. First up was a classic salad of bresaola, rocket and parmesan which was delicious but frankly quite difficult to cock up.
The dishes continued to arrive at a satisfying rate. The pork belly dish was well cooked — in my opinion slightly under-seasoned but that’s a minor gripe and the grilled flank steak did exactly what it says on the tin.
A perfectly simple cured ham & split pea risotto changed the pace nicely and the wild mushroom piadina (a type of Italian flat bread) was extremely moreish.
However the star of the show for me was the mackerel tartare. Ultra-fresh mackerel flesh finely diced and combined with cucumber, capers and shallots (I could guess at other ingredients and indeed might well try to recreate this dish in a future blog — watch this space) was complemented by a horseradish crème fraiche. Brilliantly clean flavours and not at all over-poweringly fishy as you might expect.
We were far too full for dessert — I told them we’d ordered too much.
The meal, including drinks came to £76 for three of us, and with main dishes priced between £4.40 and £11.80, we all agreed was more than reasonable and concluded that Polpo is sure to be a hit and become a mainstay in Soho. It’s a cool place to go with friends for a catch-up and a blowout that won’t break the bank or a great place to pop in for a cheeky bite to eat before the pub or the theatre.
Get along there!
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