POLPO: A Venetian Cookbook (Of Sorts)

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Raw fish is a speciality, and my trio of minced salmon, lightly seared tuna with finely chopped cucumber and sea bass (€2 each) with tomatoes, prepared right in front of me, were melt-in-the-mouth fresh – the best thing I ate in Venice.

Whilst oven is heating Take a large Le creuset or saucepan, heat the oil over medium-high heat add the reserved ginger mixture and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute. The original Soho branch still exists at the same location on Beak Street and has a long bar with seating and typical Italiandecor.But then this, as much as the wine and the food, is the beauty of the bar crawl – it takes you through the medieval alleyways and floating magic of this amazing city. Between us we scoffed: spaghetti alla busara (tomato, chilli and shrimp, which is a Dalmatian favourite); calves' liver and polenta, a local speciality; bigoli in salsa (wholegrain pasta and anchovies, with slow-cooked, marmaladey onions); and squid cooked in its own ink.

I have managed to put together mezze meals before with the help of a friend or two, but it's always rather stressful. Use your hands or a fork to fully combine but do not overmix ( I added a handful of breadcrumbs to give a touch of body) Use your hands or an ice cream scoop to form 2-inch meatballs (about 2 ounces each).Any one who liked this cookbook should check out Bocca: Cookbook - another very good London trendy Italian restaurant cookbook. Praline creative director David Tanguy says, ‘We wanted to create a book which felt at the same time old and contemporary, capturing both the spirit of the real Venice and the unfussy charm of Polpo and its location in London’s Soho. A far cry from the tourist-trap eateries of the famous floating city, this kind of cooking is unfussy, innovative, and exuberantly delicious.