Five places to nibble on cicchetti

Charles Campion picks the best spots in the capital to eat cicchetti...

Tempo
54 Curzon Street, W1 (020 7629 2742, tempomayfair.co.uk)
Cicchetti are the nibbles on offer at traditional Venetian restaurants and wine bars. At slick Mayfair Italian restaurant Tempo they cost £2.50 to £4 a plate and the crostini di nduja (made from a Calabrian sausage) is highly recommended.

Polpo
41 Beak Street, W1 (020 7734 4479, polpo.co.uk)
Soho's answer to a Venetian "bacaro". On Tuesday, Polpo is opening a basement bar dedicated to cicchetti (they also feature on the menu upstairs), £1.60 to £3. The anchovy and chick pea crostini is delicious and the mortadella, gorgonzola and walnut is an inspired combination.

Bocca Di Lupo
12 Archer Street, W1 (020 7734 2223, boccadilupo.com)
Something of a wild card as the entire menu is devoted to small-plate dining (you can choose large or small portions) which means it keeps getting pigeon-holed as "Italian Tapas". The small plates are priced £2.50 to £10 (seafood). Try the luganega, a thin Venetian sausage with nutmeg, cinnamon and clove.

Cecconi's
5A Burlington Gardens, W1 (020 7434 1500, cecconis.co.uk)
As befits its Venetian antecedents, the menu here lists 15 or so cicchetti (£3 to £8), including breaded baby mozzarella and artichoke crostini with Parmesan, roast quail with pancetta and baby cuttlefish and polenta.

Tinello
87 Pimlico Road, SW1 (020 7730 3663, tinello.co.uk)
The latest offshoot from Giorgio Locatelli's Locanda Locatelli. There are plenty of small plates here, priced £1.95 to £4.95 - look out for brown bread crostini topped with lardo and chestnut honey or the deep-fried baby artichokes.
Charles Campion