Hype is a funny thing, so are bandwagons. They can stop you judging somewhere on its own merit and this happened to me at
Polpetto. Even though I enjoyed my meal, I was expecting fireworks and that's because Polpetto and its bigger brother Polpo have been the object of an exceptional amount of praise - Time Out is admirably exempt from this, though the underlying reason that with two other similar establishments this is not requisitely trendy enough is predictably obnoxious as ever. I was thinking about the hype surrounding this place and trying to pin down the reasons behind it. Firstly I suppose is the location, the same room above the French House that the sainted Fergus Henderson started at. More than that though is that it provides a very strong, balanced and homely Italian menu that was once difficult to find. In doing this it replicates the formula from Polpo and Boca de Lupo of providing this food in small and shareable portions so you can eat through a decent amount of the menu on one visit. Obviously this also means slightly less food for slightly more money, but variety is after all the spice of life. Without all the hype this would be a great place to have a good glass of wine and well prepared Venetian food with the odd stand out dish thrown in.
Posts