Polpo by Russell Norman

Polpo by Russell Norman

A luscious cookbook of little known Venetian specialties from one of London's hottest restaurants, accompanied by luminous photographs.

Tucked away in London's edgy Soho district, Polpo is one of the most irrepressibly buzzing restaurants in town. Critics and food aficionados have been flocking to this understated bacaro where Russell Norman serves up small dishes-think tapas-from the back streets of Venice. A far cry from the tourist-trap eateries of the famous floating city, this kind of cooking is unfussy, innovative, and exuberantly delicious. The 120 recipes in this book range from salads and snacks to small main courses, drinks, and desserts, including asparagus with Parmesan and anchovy butter; warm duck salad with beets and walnuts; crispy baby pizzas with zucchini, mint and chilli; scallops with lemon and peppermint; soft-shell crab in Parmesan batter with fennel; fizzy bellinis and glasses of bright orange spritz; panacotta with poached rhubarb; and warm autumn fruits with amaretto cream.

The recipes are accompanied by luminescent photography within a dazzling design, including a distinctive stripped-away spine to reveal colorful Japanese stitching--a feature that also allows the book to lie open flat on a chef's workstation. Polpo captures the unfrequented corners, bustling bacari, and sublime waterways of Venice as they've never been seen before.

Russell Norman spent four years with the Caprice Holdings group, running some of London's most exclusive restaurants, before ditching the high life, getting an octopus tattoo on his back, and opening his own restaurant in seedy Soho. It was an instant hit, combining the vibrancy of New York with the cuisine of Venice. POLPO was quickly followed by Polpetto, da Polpo, Spuntino, and Mishkin's, to name a few. Russell Norman is a London-based writer. POLPO is a sparkling ode to Italy's best hidden food, with 140 recipes for Venetian delicacies from London's most buzzing restaurant, released by Bloomsbury in May 2012.