REVIEW: Polpo, Harvey Nichols

I'M NOT sure I'll ever get used to visiting a restaurant situated in a department store, when the place is quiet and void of people other than a solitary doorman. It brings to mind A Night At The Museum, only less ancient Egyptian curse, more pricey YSL purse.

I seriously doubt Moz would have approved of being party to such a meat feast...

Though there really is nothing peculiar about the new Polpo in Harvey Nichols, except perhaps that it's in the North (owner and London restaurant 'darling' Russel Norman's eight other restaurants are located in the capital, plus one in Brighton), just a pleasant welcoming to a low-lit, medium-sized space of warm woods, leathers, bricks and... are they napkins hanging from the lights?

Arriving just before the evening pre-show crowd we had our pick of tables and full attention of the server, who began the obligatory 'guide' through the Venetian tapas-style menu. Small plates not being the hip, novel concept they were when Polpo first launched in Soho to a barrage of critical acclaim in 2009, the idea wasn't too hard to grasp. Though, to their credit, they've thrown in a few curveball dishes to wrong-foot the non-Venetian, the scrutiny of which allowed us to take advantage of some sound wine advice. The Monte del Frá Custoza 2014 hit the spot, a smooth, well-balanced white which ran nicely throughout the meal despite a fair amount of red meat to contend with (a caveat: wine snobs might not be overly keen on sipping wine from little tumblers - but I suppose it's all part of Polpo's rustic-casual charm).

Meatballs

After some polite coercion we stopped chinwagging and ordered a couple of crostini; artichoke with speck and a delicious spicy nduja and ricotta (both £4), the nduja being a spicy and supremely spreadable pork salame balanced with the creamy ricotta topping.

Polpo's menu is vaguely grouped into starters and mains, but food, as is de rigeur with small plates, comes out when cooked, meaning there's a consistent flow of grub arriving at the table. In the realms of mains, our meatballs arrived first; lamb and pistachio (£7), and a decidely non-meaty chickpea with spinach and ricotta (£6.00), both sat in a typically thick, rich, tangy tomato sauce. The lamb and pistachio seemed much like a standard meatball, until the textures and spice leaked through, whilst the chickpea combo possessed a good crumble without drying out - unlike most falafels.

Due to our erratic ordering, an eclectic mix arrived next: cuttlefish and ink risotto (£8), beautifully black, though a little heavy on rice and scrimpin' on fish; a warm duck salad with beetroot and pickled walnuts (£9), again devoid of much duck, or walnuts for that matter; and a satisfying bresaola, goat curd and rocket pesto bruschetta dish (£8) with rolls of thinly-sliced, deeply red salted beef, a slither of asparagus puree and lashings of goat curd.

Bresaola, goat curd and rocket pesto bruschetta

Having somehow nudged our way into a third hour, we thought it only polite to consider desserts. If, like me, you have a sweet tooth, this is going to be a tough decision. I mean, Nutella pizza? Dreamy. We eventually ordered a gorgeously creamy Panna cotta, topped with a Campari and rhubarb compote (£5) that I'd have happily eaten all day long. People generally assume that desserts of a healthier slant are likely to be unsatisfying or lacklustre; not the case with Polpo's 'flourless' lemon and almond cake (£6), a dense but unstodgy gluten-free cake with lemon syrup running from all sides and a dollop of thick mascarpone on the side.

To celebrate reaching our fourth hour, we finished with Four Roses bourbon-based cocktails; The Devereaux, with elderflower, lemon juice, mint, and topped off with Prosecco, felt like a Mojitio-done-Italiano, whilst a Manhattan made with Antica vermouth, Amaro Montenegro and finished with a super-sweet Amarena cherry was sex in a glass.

By now it was half an hour before closing and we'd lost the attention of most of the staff, save one chirpy Geordie bartender who humoured us through one final, reflective round. It's clear by their wine in tumblers, indie soundtrack and no bookings policy (course you can't), the Polpo team are targeting the young, hip, twentysomething end of the market, and while that may be fine in Soho, nibbling meatballs whilst serenaded by Morrissey doesn't quite translate to a posh department store in Leeds. And I seriously doubt Moz would have approved of being party to such a meat feast...

Polpo Leeds, 4th floor Harvey Nichols, 107-111 Briggate, Leeds LS! 6AZ. Tel: 0113 204 8790.

Rating 14/20

Food: 7/10 (crostinis 7, meatballs 7, cuttlefish risotto 5.5, duck salad 5.5, bresaola 7.5, desserts 8)

Ambience: 3.5/5

Service: 3.5/5