Polpo - Venetian Flair?

Polpo has hit the ground running in spectacular fashion since the moment it opened. Zeren Wilson re-visits and finds the place buzzing as usual, which is why he grabs his spot at the bar at 5.30pm sharp. 

This Venetian style bàcaro in Soho was already being talked about, blogged, hyped, PR'ed, and buzzed about months before its opening, and I have floated around and about Polpo since it opened, dipped in on its second day, returned the same week, and trawled through much of the menu since then.

Russell Norman, ex-Caprice holdings veteran (The Ivy, Sheekey, Scott's et al), has created a zeitgeist in an instant, where people clamour to go, are happy to queue, and feel part of a scene simply standing at the bar.

A stripped back, exposed brick-work, urban vibe has the feel of New York rather than Venice, but no matter - this is Soho, and the edgy, casual vibe is in perfect keeping to the whole concept.

A flavour of my last visit:

The house drink is a Venetian spritz, a cherry scented, gently sparkling blend of prosecco, with Campari or Aperol, a plump green olive skewered with a cocktail stick within - this is a good way to start a meal, a civilized take on a Negroni.Crostini and small plates are the vibe of the place, piggy backing on the current London trend for doing "tapas" style, small plates, one bite morsels, credit crunched dining. Don't mention the "T" word to an Italian however, these are cichèti, small plates found in the bars of Venice.

Prosciutto and Mozzarella di buffala crostini on crisp bread has good, chewy and milky mozzarella, a decent tranche of prosciutto, and fragrant olive oil.

Spratti in Saor delivers tangy, marinated sprats, a pleasant mouthful layered with some almost caramelized onions

A delightful Arancini ball begins to show the real skill in the kitchen (Tom Oldroyd, ex Bocca di Lupo), a fluffy, greaseless rice ball, with a gorgeous melting cheesy centre. Two arrive, but these you could happily pop away by the mouthful with several of those fizzing Aperols.

Cotechino Sausage, Savoy cabbage, mustard is wicked combination , three medallions of a sausage oozing with trotter meat, on a sprightly bed of cabbage given zing by some vinegar. Proper Dijon mustard too, cutting through the richness of that sausage.

Fritto Misto is the killer dish here, no doubt. I've ordered this winning plate on almost every occasion, and it doesn't disappoint this time. This is a kitchen that knows the subtle art of frying with expertise - and with a degree of love. Yes, love. Perfect prawns that urge you to crunch away, head and all, the shells quite edible having flirted with that fryer. Tender rings of squid, cute little sprats, and here and there a curl of baby Octopus (and lo, the Polpo makes an appearance), a pleasing suckered leg hiding amongst this pile of goodness.

The Polpette are simply outstanding, epic meatballs of dense, hedonistic proportions, a thrilling porky mouthful, seasoned boldly and nestling in a wonderful tomato sauce - this is ballsy cooking, no nonsense, and speaks of Norman's own forays to Venice, trawling the bàcari for inspiration. The idea for the dish I hear is from Ca' d'Oro - Alla Vedova, a bàcaro in the backstreets of Venice.

The place is rammed by 6.30pm, and coming here in the evening requires military timing (they don't take bookings in the evening), and so I'm there at 5.30pm, and out by 7.30pm. Get there at 6.30pm and you're screwed with a forty-five minute wait at least. And like I said, people are happy to queue.

Dishes are from £1.20 for the Cichetti and Crostini, with most dishes between the £4-6 mark. I got carried away, as its easy to do, and with drinks this came to £35. Can you get away with less? Yes, but if you're enjoying yourself, go crazy and order the entire menu.

So come here and queue, come here and don't, but do come here and try that Fritto Misto - it's bellissimo.

Polpo, 41 Beak Street, W1F 9SB - www.polpo.co.uk

The Restauraphile at Polpo was Zeren Wilson