Russell Norman and Richard Beatty to open Polpo Chelsea

Written by: Neil Gerrard, Thursday, April 9th 2015, 16:36 on TheCaterer.com

Russell Norman and business partner Richard Beatty are to open a new Polpo restaurant in London’s Chelsea in May this year.

Polpo Chelsea will be the pair’s ninth London restaurant, and will sit within a Georgian, grade II-listed building in Duke of York Square. The 940 sq ft restaurant will offer 40 covers inside, and another 70 outside.

Aiming for the feel of a scruffy wine bar in Venice, the restaurant will have timber floorboards, red brick walls and a rusted tin ceiling. Deep red leather banquettes will line the walls, alongside old chemistry lab tables and antique maps of Venice.

There will be a partially covered terrace with a glass canopy, linen parasols and heaters.

Norman said: “Polpo Chelsea will feel closer to Venice than any restaurant we have opened yet. There are so many tables and chairs outside that it will feel very reminiscent of the huge squares of La Serenissima.

“Duke of York Square is one of London’s prettiest locations, feeling secluded and continental, but it’s just a stone’s throw away from Chelsea landmarks like the Royal Court theatre, Saatchi gallery and Peter Jones’.”

Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, dishes on the menu will include cicchetti such as fried stuffed olives, arancini and chopped chicken liver crostini (from £3). There will also be fritto misto; pizzetta bianca; spicy pork and fennel meatballs; and sliced flank steak (from £4).  Desserts will include: affogato al caffe; gelato cone; flourless chocolate and hazelnut cake; and tiramisu pot (from £4).

The restaurant will be open seven days a week and reservations will be available from 10am to 5pm, and then allocated on a first-come, first-served basis after that.

Norman and Beatty opened the first Polpo in Beak Street in 2009, followed by Polpo Covent Garden on Maiden Lane in June 2011, Polpo Smithfield in Cowcross Street in August 2012, Polpo Ape & Bird on Cambridge Circus in November 2013, and Polpo Notting Hill in June 2014.

They also run Polpetto on Berwick Street, Spuntino on Rupert Street, and Mishkin’s on Catherine Street.

The pair won the Best Newcomer Catey in 2012.