Polpo

Deliciously simple Venetian dishes from the London restaurant Tucked away in a backstreet of London's edgy Soho district, POLPO is one of the hottest restaurants in town. Critics and food aficionados have been flocking to this understated bàcaro since it opened in 2009, serving up dishes 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 mouth-wateringly delicious. From aperitivo to heavily-laden sharing plates and from desserts to drinks, the 140 recipes in the book include caprese stacks, zucchini shoestring fries, asparagus with Parmesan and anchovy butter, arancini, rabbit cacciatore, warm duck salad with wet walnuts and beets, crispy baby pizzas with prosciutto and rocket, scallops with lemon and peppermint, mackerel tartare, linguine with clams, soft-shell crab in Parmesan batter with fennel salad, walnut and honey semifreddo, tiramisù, bellinis and glasses of bright Aperol and Campari spritz. With luminescent photography by Jenny Zarins, which captures the unfrequented corners, the bustling bàcari and the sublime waterways of Venice, POLPO is a dazzling tribute to Italy's greatest hidden cuisine.

Russell Norman