Eat & Drink
Originally published on Thursday, 23rd June 2011
Da Polpo
The new bacaro on the block
6 Maiden Lane, London, WC2E 7NA - 020 7836 8448 (no reservations at dinner)
Location
Having blessed Soho with a buzzy trio of small-plate, high-style restaurants, Polpo founder Russell Norman has decided to give Theatreland a piece of the action. With its classy green frontage and discreetly customized linen curtains, new venture da Polpo sits confidently understated beside its try-hard neighbours.
Vibe
Of the three Polpo offspring, if Spuntino is the cool one, and Polpetto the sexy one, then da Polpo is the approachable one. The one you might bring your mother to - not least because she wouldn’t have to wait two hours for her chicheti. With seventy seats over two floors it’s far roomier than the others, and airy, too, thanks to a large skylight. The soundtrack is crowd-pleasing – the Stones, Johnny Cash, The Smiths – and both customers and staff are less raffish than in Soho.
Flavours
Meatballs, pizzete, asparagus, heritage tomatoes: the brown paper menu sticks to the winning formula of its predecessors and, indeed, why wouldn’t it? Nothing we tried was less than delicious and booze, as always, is spot on. We wanted another aperol spritz even whilst consuming the first, while the bellini sgroppino, which blends prosecco and lemon sorbet was the slushie of our dreams.
Décor
Like its siblings, da Polpo looks terrific: bruised cream paintwork, wooden pews, rusted tin panels on the ceiling, reclaimed fittings and bare light bulbs aglow with fashionable filaments. Old pictures of Venice on the wall remind you that the place was inspired by the city’s traditional bacaros, but the style borrows as much from uber-cool joints in the Meatpacking district.
Upshot
The Norman conquest continues with another fine addition to the Polpo family – and, apparently, the last in the line of bacaros before he moves onto his next bright idea. You’re less likely to spot someone famous than in Soho, but have more chance of a seat.
