Soho favourite Polpetto has welcomed a new head chef, Anthea Stephenson (formerly of the River Café), to bring a fresh take on regional Italian cooking to the cult Berwick Street restaurant.
Stephenson's new menu is launching today, along with redesigned interiors and a bold new look for the shopfront. The new dishes are designed for convivial sharing and feasting. The new head chef also brings with her a new selection of suppliers such as Farmison & Co for meat & game, Elias for fish & seafood and Vallebona for Italian cheeses.
Stephenson’s menu will change frequently to reflect the seasons. New dishes include: Thinly sliced ox tongue, salsa verde & pine nuts; Red mullet carpaccio, shaved fennel & chilli; Roast pumpkin, toasted wet walnuts, sheep ricotta & grumulo.
Larger sharing dishes including: Hand cut chestnut tagliatelle, girolle mushroom & thyme; Venetian rib chop, marrow, borlotti and cicoria, and dolci such as: Saffron panna cotta; Warm chocolate tart, sea salt and mascarpone.
A new wine list featuring biodynamic, low-intervention and natural wines supports Stephenson’s philosophy at Polpetto, collaborating for the first time with Natural Born Wines and Tutto Wines. These sit alongside Polpetto’s classic cocktail menu with a vermouth focus.
The restaurant has been restructured into an entirely new layout, with intimate booths lining the walls, whilst the unique bar with fold-away bar stools remain in the window of this Soho staple.
Interiors have taken specific inspiration from co-founder Russell Norman’s favourite city Venice and have been geared towards comfort and space with larger tables and more generous spacing.
Downstairs, the intimate chef’s table is relaunched, seating up to sixteen guests and affording an immersive view of the feature open kitchen.
Stephenson commented, “I have always loved Italian regional cooking and in particular the food from Venice and the Veneto. It’s my favourite part of the country for ingredients, seasonal dishes, recipes and wine. To be able to showcase the thrilling flavours of northern Italy at such an iconic restaurant as Polpetto is a bit of a dream come true for me.”
Scott Macdonald, POLPO Ltd’s Managing Director, commented, 'It is rare to come across a chef as talented as Anthea and her appointment represents the fulfilment of an ambition of mine: to have world-class cooking at our boutique Soho outpost. I’m so excited.”