Polpetto

[david goodfellow]

Co owner Russell Norman and Chef Tom " meatballs " Oldroyd have enjoyed Hestonesque publicity since opening Polpo, and now Polpetto its younger and far smaller sister.I know Oldroyd worked at Bocco di Lupo for a short period, and have since discovered he was at Alistair Little for three years (working with Norman) but his rise to fame must grate a bit on a few of the chefs toiling away up and down the country, especially as he is a relative spring chicken, so to speak. Still he puts a more than decent plate of food on the table.

Housed above the famous French House pub its ideally located if you fancy a "few bevvies" before or after your meal. Sadly I could not partake as I was driving, but the place looked full of very interesting faces and conversation was in full flow.

I was prepared to dislike the room, imagining a bare "clattery" room devoid of charm.

I was wrong, thankfully.

It was a bit on the bare side with Polpo type " bare" wall, trademark golden tin ceiling and spooky " mad max" type ceiling fans. Antiqued or should that be distressed walls complete the picture, but i should also mentioned the mirrors, which add to the overall effect.

Seating is intimate, so much so that my bentwood chair kept interlocking with the one behind me, very much in the style of a couple of sexed up stags locking antlers. Fortunately both of us were engrossed in the food so no battle ensued.

The menu is very Polpo, quite a few dishes are duplicated, no worries we have loads of choice.

One of the "famous" meatballs. A duck and porcini (£1.50) a bite sized mouthful of fun was served with White bean crostino (£1) another, bite sized mouthful of fun.

Warm lentils, burrata, and basil (£5.50) was comforting in a mouth filling sort of way, I like all of the ingredients on there own, but they marry well together, so a winner

Its easy to become spoiled at these prices and I nearly did not order the Soft shell Crab (£9) because nearly all of the other dishes are in the £4, £5, £6 @ £7 territory. I relented because the table next to us were salivating over it, and so were we when we saw them chomping into it.

Served with Celeriac slaw and coated in a Parmesan batter, it was worth fighting over, (we were sharing). As always, her indoors won the lions share claiming its her kind of dish more than mine.

We found all of the menu tempting, and its easy to get carried away at these prices, sampling more and more of the dishes, so we had to temper out enthusiasm a bit.

I was really looking forward to the Pigeon saltimbocca (£7.50) but it was a bit of a let down, in fact it was overcooked and therefore slightly tough. It was in sending back territory. What saved it going back was the flavour, it was immense. We decided if we sent this back our next one may have not been so tasty, so we plodded on. Still a bit of a shame it could have been perfect.

We had a perfectly acceptable bottle of Barbera Volpi 2009 (£15) Which was well in keeping with the overall pricing structure.

Cuttlefish in its ink, with gremolata (£7.50) was a first, at least with its ink. Me thinks this dish is not one for the ladies, however we both enjoyed it, me finishing off the sauce with a spoon. Not bad at all.

A wonderful pizzetta followed, Cured Pork shoulder and pickled pepper (£6) Beware the green chilli slices they are very potent and a tad overpowering. A great lunchtime treat with a glass of wine (if your in the area)

I was looking forward to this dish more than any other, Osso Bucco, with saffron risotto (£8.50). But why no gremolata?

The first couple of tastes of the shin seemed a tad bland, but put the components together and bang, a big hit of flavour. This dish grew and grew and it was (for me at least) the highlight of the meal. Easily as big as any main course in a Michelin place this hearty portion had me purring contentedly. I have not cooked this dish for years because veal is so hard to get locally. The last shin of veal we bought was Harrods and Harvey Nicks and the veal alone perhaps cost this sort of money, so to my mind especially with the skill and hard work thats gone into it, a fantastic bargain. Must not forget the bone marrow, a melt in the mouth treat not to be overlooked.

We both really enjoyed Polpetto, perhaps a tad more than Polpo. One thing is for sure, Norman knows a winning formula when he spots one. If you know him and he is a betting man, if he offers you a tip, take it and put your money on it. It will most certainly be a winner.

We skipped desserts and as is usual did not take coffee. Therefore all of the above with ample Thames tap water served by happy to please staff amounted to just under £70, this included service at 12.5%.

Thank you.

[nikkib]

Despite eating in da polpa last week we ended up in Polpetto last night with a friend, obviously very similar to Da polpa and polpo which is a good thing in my book. Pizzette with pickled peppers and pork shoulder (try saying that after a campari or 3) swordfish carpaccio with pink peppercorns was excellent, really delicious and fragrant. Panzanella salad, braised baby gem lettuce with brown shrimps. Stand out dishes were the ham hock in a delicious broth and a beautiful braised octopus and potato salad - same prices as last week, £66 including aperitifs, 500mls of wine and a few beers. I'll be back!