Who said Christmas parties have to be, well, Christmassy? If you're organising this year's festive do for your colleagues, friends or family, and you're looking for something out of the ordinary, what about taking your guests to Venice for the night?
Polpo is an authentic Venetian restaurant in Soho, just seconds from the buzz of Carnaby Street and the brilliant transport links around that area. This, the flagship branch, opened in 2009, and was joined several years later by another restaurant in Chelsea. The Beak Street eatery is now a stalwart of Soho, and has been serving sell-out cicheti plates for over a decade.
Polpo Soho welcomes festive group bookings and while the team can arrange a larger table for you in the main restaurant, the venue also has an exclusive-use private dining room on the lower-ground floor. Here, in the Campari Room, you'll have the place to yourself with enough space for 24 people positioned around one, central table.
This works fabulously well as the style of the menu is all about coming together over food and sharing everything on the table. So, first up, grab an Italian-style pre-dinner cocktail and the team recommend an Aperol Spritz or Peach Bellini - which was in fact invented in Venice.
Then, it's time for some snacks and small plates such as stuffed, fried olives, alongside chicken liver and sage crostino, plus truffle and potato crochette. Slightly larger plates include the pork, fennel and chili meatballs which are known as a crowd-pleaser, as well as the flank steak with spinach and parmesan.
Other menu highlights include cacio e pepe, and pizzettes with toppings like mozzarella, tomato and oregano. Finally, ensure your gang leaves room for dessert, because the Nutella pizzettes has to be tried, especially with a side of pistachio gelato.