Cook books: Spuntino, by Russell Norman

The thought of a book about New York food being written by an Englishman seems odd, until you remember that its author, Russell Norman, also penned Polpo , which focuses on the cuisine of Venice. Whereas a native New Yorker might look on the wonders of the city (and not just the culinary ones) with a blasé attitude, an outsider can appre­ciate them with fresh eyes.

In the introduction he writes, “My love affair with New York started many years before I first visited the city, through the cop movies and bad TV shows of my 1970s childhood. From afar, the place was mesmerising, and I became increasingly intrigued. I had never thought of a city as a character before, but here was one that seemed vital, visceral, assured, arrogant, cultured, dangerous, sexy and elegant all at once. By the time I finally landed at John F Kennedy Airport in 1999 I was well on the way to full-blown obsession. On the flight I had felt disproportionately nervous, not because of the usual flying jitters. I was apprehensive about meeting the long-term object of my long-distance infatuation ... My first encounter with New York did not disappoint ...

“As my tourist’s sensibilities evolved, I learnt to see the city as a native might; not looking up in awe at the skyscrapers, bright lights and monuments, but with a horizontal glaze, appraising the streets, the sidewalk, the people, the shopfronts, the doorways, the windows and the businesses behind them. I also started to think about how I might possibly capture something of New York’s intangible mojo, bottle it up and bring it across the Atlantic ... I was amused that the origins of many classic American dishes were, in fact, Italian. Meatballs, pizza, macaroni cheese. I wondered whether a scruffy small-plate joint serving strong cock­tails and Italian/American comfort food with a scratchy blues soundtrack was the sort of place people might like in London.”

The result of Norman’s obsession is Spuntino, a small, 27-seat place that opened in London’s Soho in 2011, and which doesn’t accept bookings (it doesn’t even have a telephone).