After the success of Polpo, Russell Norman has turned his hand to pubs. Well, gastro pubs with an Italian feel, to be more precise.
Norman’s latest offering is Ape & Birdin the heart of Covent Garden's Seven Dials, and seeing as it’s only a short walk from Grazia HQ, we thought it would be rude not to check it out for ourselves. We took our appetite down the road and we weren’t left hungry.
Like Polpo, Ape & Bird specialises in small sharing plates based on Italian cuisine. But if tapas isn’t your thing, you can get yourself one of their delicious pizzas, that are stone-baked in an oven in the middle of the restaurant.
We tried to practise restraint, but still managed to get through a good selection of Ape & Bird’s sharing plates – including a beautifully tender pork belly with lentils and apple, and Fritto Misto (deep fried mixed seafood). One of my personal faves was the salt cod crochettes – little balls of salt cod and potato rolled in breadcrumbs, which were full of flavor! Oh, and do yourself (and your taste palate) a favour by ordering the figs with goat’s cheese and honey. You’ll thank us.
To wash it all down, we had a couple glasses of prosecco laced with elderflower (delish!), and our mounds of food were accompanied by various beers (well, it is a ‘pub’ after all).
Ape & Bird is a good place to have on your radar when exploring the Seven Dials. The vibe is laid-back, and the food is on point! However, I wouldn’t recommend this place for a date as the décor and layout lends itself better to a group of mates in need of a catch up. Staff were friendly, attentive and very trendy, making us feel like we were part of the cool gang. All in all, totally worth the 4 minute walk down the road!
