Symposium

Symposium combines an Italian delicatessen, wine bar and restaurant on Roman Road, opened by Giuseppe Pollifrone, a former theoretical physicist, together with Rubina Aga. The deli counter stocks imported Italian cheeses, cured meats and store-cupboard goods, while the kitchen sends out modernised trattoria dishes using fish bought from Billingsgate Market and bread supplied daily by Breid bakery in Bethnal Green. Around ninety-five per cent of the wine list is organic, with a number of biodynamic and vegan bottles from small European producers. Customers can shop the deli to take produce home or sit down in the dining room, which runs behind a bright café area at the front of the building. The shop also runs regular wine-tasting evenings for locals, extending its role beyond a straightforward place to eat into something closer to a neighbourhood grocer with a kitchen attached.