If you like
Polpo, which serves those tiny portions of Venetian deliciousness then you'll also like
Polpetto, which is by those same smart and savvy friends to my taste buds.
If you thought that Polpo was little, then be prepared for Polpetto to be even smaller (polpetto means baby octopus – which they serve, at only £3 a plate.). The location is grand, above French House in Soho, but this diminutive diner has only 28 chairs and the largest table seats only four. Polpetto has the same reservations policy as Polpo as well – you can book for lunch, but dinner is strictly first complete party comes, first complete party is served. It also has the same zucchini fries...and a limited selection of Polpo's cicheti, which start, in price, at a single British pound. And pizzetta bianca, which is like a micro mini pizza, which packs more flavour than a giant one bought elsewhere. But the menu isn't all the same, Polpetto has quite a lot of its own temptations to lure you back.
And the wine even comes in little carafes as well as whole bottles – most of it harking from northern Italy to match the food.
So far, so tiny, but the mains are a proper size. And even if you have to sit close to your dinner-mates, it's well worth is because the flavours are never reduced, but always managed, matched and promoted. And at least with the small sizes you can try a bit of everything. Which is why I love Polpo so much.
