Polpo is a bàcaro, a Venetian word to describe a humble restaurant serving simple food and good, young local wines.

I’m a few years late visiting and reviewing Polpo, which has now become one of Soho’s most popular eateries. With new branches in Covent Garden and Smithfields, the concept is spreading across London. The group also count American inspired Mishkin’s and Spuntino as part of the family.

Polpo don’t do reservations. I have tried to eat at the Soho restaurant several times before, the response is always the same “hour and a half wait, and you’ll have to stand at the (cramped) bar in the meantime”… that’s the evening ruined then. However at 5.45 on a Friday evening before Christmas there were several tables free. We grabbed the opportunity and ordered two glasses of Prosecco to celebrate the triumph, we were finally eating there, just four years after opening!

The restaurant is cosy and atmospheric, couples sit huddled over wooden tables and friends chatter enthusiastically. To start we ate Arancini and Potato and Parmesan crocchettes which were impressively greaseless and tasty… crunchy shells with oozing creamy centres, although rather under-seasoned.

Of the meatballs we tried the classic (beef & pork) variety. They were wholesome and good, coarsely ground meat dunked in thin sweet tomato sauce. Pork belly with hazelnuts and radicchio has been on the menu since the beginning but I was disappointed. The meat was dry, and very fatty, and the radicchio leaves almost too bitter to eat. Duck and Green Peppercorn Ragu with Pappardelle was the top dish of the day, fresh pasta sheets with a rich meaty sauce, especially good topped with crumbled parmesan.

After four years of rave reviews and two new branch openings, I expected a little more from Polpo. The staff seemed unbothered and the kitchen rather slack: the food just isn’t as spectacular as some of the newer Soho eateries.

More information here: www.polpo.co.uk