Brutto

“Undeniably one of the most beautiful books to grace our shelves … But it’s more than an objet d’art … [These dishes] are meant to be prepared then polished off.” ―Wall Street Journal

“The physical appearance of this book will give you a clue to its culinary intentions. With beautiful, sparse layouts on thick, cream-colored paper, the feeling is one of refinement and simplicity but without pretensions. The photographs are lush and deeply hued, but also casual … Inspires a lush, celebratory approach to dining and entertaining that is deeply appealing. ” ―The Kitchn

“Sometimes, though rarely, it takes a non-Italian to break from entrenched stereotypes about Italian food, and Russell Norman, founder of the POLPO restaurant group in London, has done so with a seasonal cookbook of recipes actually made at home, not based on ristorante dishes (no carpaccio here). ” –Forbes Venice

‘Brutto is actually bellissimo. A perfect cookbook for lovers of true Tuscan food. Simply brilliant.’ - STANLEY TUCCI

Russell Norman is an award-winning restaurateur, writer and broadcaster, and the founder of the POLPO restaurant group. Norman’s book POLPO - A Venetian Cookbook (of Sorts) was published by Bloomsbury and won Waterstones Book of the Year 2012. In 2014 he presented The Restaurant Man, a six-part prime-time documentary for BBC2, and his second book SPUNTINO - Comfort Food (New York Style) won the 2016 Guild of Food Writers Award for best food and travel book. He is a contributing editor for Esquire magazine and writes a monthly column as ‘The Accidental Cook’. He opened his fully booked Trattoria Brutto in 2021 to universal acclaim and a long waiting list.