Polpetto | Berwick Street

Earlier this month I visited Polpetto on Berwick Street with some old work colleagues. The restaurant, owned by Russell Norman, serves Venetian small plates off an ever-changing menu.

Note, this isn't 'Italian tapas' the food is specifically Venetian, which is it is significantly different from the other cuisines of North Italy. The most common dish of the region is polenta, which is cooked in various ways from fried to baked - whilst dinning at the restaurant I tried a creamed polenta which was extremely comforting on a rainy day. As the region contains both mountain and coastal areas, both seafood and grilled meat can be found alongside traditional dishes such as risotto, Bigoli and ravioli.

After ordering 4 plates each to share, we were impressed with how quickly the dishes came out of the kitchen. The waiter served our vegetarian dishes first, followed by fish, the meat and finally dessert.

The beetroot and goats curd dish was the star of the show for me alongside a slow baked hen's egg - remember to order plenty of focaccia as there'll be lots of sauce to lap up. 

We finished the night with a shot of Stellacello Pompelmo, a grapefruit liqueur influenced by the citrus flavours associated with traditional Italian Limoncello.





I enjoyed my evening at Polpo, especially due to the good company I was in, and thought the staff were extremely up-beat whilst the food was fresh. However, although the dishes were very good, I didn't get that 'wow' feeling throughout the night, and once the bill came I thought it was overpriced for what is was...

Would I go back? Absolutely, it's good honest food - but only after pay day.