If Polpetto — the little sibling of Russell Norman's enormously successful Polpo — is anything to go by, it's true that the best things come in small packages. In fact so inconspicuous is the entrance to this much-lauded Italian restaurant, blink and you might miss it. Situated above The French House on London's Dean Street, the only obvious giveaway to the whereabouts of this 28-seater eatery is a sign of an octopus hanging outside. Accessed by a narrow staircase lined with black-and-white photos, I only know for sure I'm in the right place when a charming staff member greets me at the top of the stairs and shows us to our table.
The decor is consciously understated; the salvaged French light fittings, the exposed brick walls, the reclaimed mirrors and the purposefully distressed zinc tables all lending an air of shabby-chic. Add to this the fact that the food is served on pretty, mismatched crockery and the wine comes in tumblers, and it is evident the emphasis here is on eating, rather than flashy interior design and pretension.
My husband and I order a tumbler each of the deliciously light Prosecco Dal Bello NV and peruse head chef Tom Oldroyd's menu. Like Polpo, it is based around dishes served in Venetian baccaros (wine bars) where you would normally stand at the bar with a glass of local wine nibbling on a selection of local delicacies. We start with a selection of very reasonably-priced cicheti (small dishes) including tiny polpetti, which are deliciously drenched in oil and garlic, anchovy and chickpea crostino, and a chopped chicken liver crostino. All are sublime and we gobble them in a trice. The breads are also a forte. We tear into stracchino, fennel and fig bruschetta, the gooey cheese complementing the salty meat and sweet fruit perfectly, and the cured pork shoulder and pickled pepper pizzetta.
As you can see, we get somewhat carried away with the ordering — we haven't even touched on the mains or desserts yet. The thing with small, tapas-like plates of food is that I always eat far more than I should. But, sod it. The food is so good, I'm on a roll. That's the thing with this place, it has a slight air of abandon. It feels like people are here to let their hair down, drink slightly too much and overeat. In short, it's a wonderful, buzzy atmosphere and we are thoroughly enjoying ourselves.
Our mains are a noteworthy crispy soft shell crab in Parmesan batter with fennel salad, and tender pigeon saltimbocca. Sorry to sound bossy, but do order a side of the zucchini fries when you visit; they're light, crispy and incredibly more-ish. Oh and leave some room for the puddings. My lemon and strawberry sgroppino — a classic Venetian dessert made by blending sorbet and Prosecco together — is delightfully refreshing, while the baked peaches with cream and thyme works brilliantly.
There's been a lot of hype around Polpetto and justifiably so — the food is fantastic. The ambience, too. The tables are close together, which gives it a cosy, friendly, excitable feel, although I am not sure it's necessarily the best place for whispering sweet nothings into your beloved's ear unless you don't mind being overheard. It's also worth noting that the restaurant only takes reservations for lunch; so if you want to go in the evenings, be prepared to queue. It's worth it.
Polpetto, Upstairs at The French House, 49 Dean Street, London W1D 5BG (+ 44 (0)20 7734 1969; polpetto.co.uk). Polpetto is open six days a week (closed Sundays), noon to 3pm and 5.30pm to 11pm. The restaurant does not take reservations for dinner; for lunch bookings call 020 7734 1969.
