Bonapeti - Pedler - Hop, Burns & Black - Pimlico Fresh

All sorts on the blog today.  Click below to scroll down:  

- Fresh and healthy food for delivery from Bonapeti

- Dumpkins & Attitude Sauce for brunch at Pedler

- Beers, Hot Sauce & Vinyl at Hop, Burns & Black

- All the French Toast for brunch at Pimlico Fresh

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This is the time of year for predicting 2015 trends.  Will burgers, ramen & ceviche soldier on? Probably. I don't know. I'm sure we'll know more in a years time so let's discuss it then...

That said, there's been a noticeable rise of late in options for home delivery on all fronts that may lead to a Buzzfeed article here and a Londonist round up there. The likes of Deliveroo and Dine In bring you meals from your favourite restaurants, whilst Marley Spoon & Taste Cocktails provide the quality ingredients but leave you to assemble the finished product.

Today though, I'd like to give a shout out to Bonapeti who are set to launch their nutritious delivery service this week, starting with 40% off normal menu prices and free delivery. 

Call 020 7924 7548 or order online from 20 Jan at www.bonapeti.com  - use code HEALTHY02

Whilst they are based round the corner from me in SW11, they are aiming to deliver their mostly plant-based meals to as many Central, W,NW, and SW London postcodes as possible.  Keep an eye on their website and sign up for more info.

Bonapeti lie somewhere between restaurant quality takeaway and the Marley Spoon model - your meals arrive fully prepared, and simply need to be assembled on the plate, and occasionally heated through in the oven or microwave.  You can order on the same day, or days in advance, with a lot of science going in to keeping everything as fresh as possible on the journey.

Most home delivery food services don't have chefs with cooking experience at the likes of Ottolenghi, The Fat Duck and Terre a Terre.  With Bonapeti, you are in safe hands.  Here's what they have to say:

"Busy London life means you're often tired at the end of the day and find cooking too time consuming, especially when there's a lot of chopping and preparation required for more imaginative healthy dishes.

You're not looking for a diet or detox plan - you simply want to eat good, fresh, nutritious food every day. You want something quick and easy that's tasty, filling and genuinely healthy.

We've got the solution: deliciously wholesome plant-based meals delivered to you, every evening. We do the cooking so you don't have to, and deliver direct to your door at prices that won't leave you feeling guilty about not cooking, or like you could have done it cheaper or better yourself. Whether you use our dishes as a substantial main or tasty side to meat or fish you've prepared is entirely up to you.

Our food is a bold mix of influences taken from all over the Middle East, North Africa and the Mediterranean. Plant-based dishes that are bursting with flavour and colour. Our chefs, some of whom trained under world-renowned Yotam Ottolenghi, bring a wealth of expertise to every single Bonapeti dish.

With none of the sugar, salt, additives or chemicals normally found in prepared meals, these dishes are a great way to enjoy delicious food and achieve a healthy balanced diet.

Plant-based food is naturally low in sugar and fat and eating more of it will help you look good and feel great. And because all our food comes from sustainable sources, it's better for the planet too.

Enjoy mouth-watering home deliveries - without the guilty conscience."

Here are a few shots from some oustanding dishes that I sampled on site:

Baked Kohlrabi with spiced tomato preserve and pumpkin seed Gremolata

Marinated Roasted Beetroot Salad with Puy Lentils, Yogurt, Dill and Pistachios

Marinated Roasted Beetroot Salad with Puy Lentils, Yogurt, Dill and Pistachios

Carrot Salad with Pumpkin Seed Dukkah

Marinated Courgettes, Dried Tomatoes and Walnuts with Parsley Pesto

There are some meat & fish dishes in the pipeline, but I was blown away by the quality of the savoury vegetarian, vegan and raw dishes on show, and I will be going back for more.  The desserts weren't half bad either.

And here are a few items off this week's menu:

- Red lentil, carrot and coriander croquettes with pomegranate molasses

- Tomato and saffron broth with butter beans and charred autumn greens

- Sweet potato Brochettes with red onion and Bahārāt spice chutney

- Almond milk pannacotta, orange flower poached plums

Red lentil, carrot and coriander croquettes with pomegranate molasses - Photo taken from website

Almond milk pannacotta, orange flower poached plums - Photo taken from website

So I suggest you stop working, visit their website and see for yourself; and with 40% off this week, you might as well cancel your dinner plans. Bon Appetit!

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BRUNCH. What a great word, or portmanteau rather (that's right Mum, I know some long ones). It's certainly a better creation than cabarenaissance and croissandwich.  (See also: Zonkey and Wholphin)

FACT TIME! My spy in the QI elf department may say otherwise, but Wikipedia tells me that brunch originated in Britain in the late 1800s:

"Instead of England's early Sunday dinner, a postchurch ordeal of heavy meats and savory pies, why not a new meal, served around noon, that starts with tea or coffee, marmalade and other breakfast fixtures before moving along to the heavier fare? By eliminating the need to get up early on Sunday, brunch would make life brighter for Saturday-night carousers. It would promote human happiness in other ways as well. "Brunch is cheerful, sociable and inciting." Beringer wrote. "It is talk-compelling. It puts you in a good temper, it makes you satisfied with yourself and your fellow beings, it sweeps away the worries and cobwebs of the week."

— William Grimes, "At Brunch, The More Bizarre The Better" New York Times, 1998

I tend to work on the weekends, often missing out on that magical and mysterious meal time, but I have started 2015 as I mean to go on - with lots of brunch, from Pedler to Pimlico Fresh.

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Sunday 4th January - Pedler in Peckham Rye is a new all-day neighbourhood joint from the local Little Bird Gin folk.  

If you've been to their charming bar on Maltby Street Market, then the Pedler décor won't surprise you.  I saw someone describe it as having an airy antique yard feel - let's go with that. Although, the odd shape of the site they have inherited means that the design isn't consistent throughout; we were directed towards a secluded booth that lacked the brunch buzz of the main room.

Climpsons & Sons coffee kept us company whilst we tried to decode the menu. Frizzle chicken? Bubble? Dumpkins? Attitude sauce? Gingerella? Lemon on toast? Ok, the last one I can do.  Friendly staff were on hand to explain the rest.

Climpsons & Sons Coffee

Here's what we went for:

- Home Cured Peck'Ham, Ricotta & Sage "French Toastie" - £7

- Frizzle Chicken, Brioche, Parmesan, Attitude Sauce & Pickles - £8

- Banger Sarnie, Red Onion Jam, Coleman's Mustard, Cheddar - £6

- Avocado, Slow Roast Tomatoes, Lemon on Toast - £5

- Wild Mushroom & Kentish Kale Bruschetta, Poached Egg - £7

- Sunday Breakie - Smoked Bacon, Sausage, Slow Roast Tomato, Mushroom, Bubble, Poached Eggs, Toast and Maple Salted Butter - £9

There wasn't much sharing going on, which is usually a good sign.  The "French Toastie" (a toasted sandwich with French toast) received a lot of praise from Jo The Sis, and the Frizzle (fried) Chicken with its spicy "Attitude Sauce" seemed to disappear pretty quickly.  Sunday Breakie could have been better, with inconsistent eggs and maple toast that didn't quite work, but the ball of "bubble" (not squeak) was a nice addition.  The rest were happily dispatched.

We finished off with a large Dumpkin (£2) - a Pedler Doughnut filled with sweet pumpkin cream. The filling was more paste than cream, and the dumpkin was almost cake-like rather than doughy, but it was an enjoyable treat nonetheless.

Wild Mushroom & Kentish Kale Bruschetta, Poached Egg

Frizzle Chicken, Brioche, Parmesan, Attitude Sauce & Pickles

Dumpkin - Pelder Doughnut filled with Sweet Pumpkin Cream

We weren't in a boozy brunch mood, so the familiar Little Bird cocktails (Barrel Aged Negroni, Peck'em Martini, Maltby Mary) didn't get an outing on this occasion, but at £6-8 you can't go far wrong.  

The same goes for the food really.  The Sunday Breakie was the most expensive item on the menu at £9, with everything else around the £7 mark, and on the whole ample portion sizes.  Whilst I've had better brunches, it's early days for Pedler and I imagine it will go from strength to strength.

As we were leaving, the Sunday Lunch dishes were starting to appear, and the roasts looked incredible.  I'll be back for Dr.Pepper Glazed Pig Loin and some Sea Stuff (?).  There's also an entirely separate Lunch & Dinner menu on which I spotted Smoked Salmon with Quiquiriqui Mezcal Butter on Rye (!) amongst other delights.  If they can pull off these quirky dishes, I'm sure you'll be reading a lot more about Pedler soon.  Return visit required.

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Since we were already far from home and useful transport, we decided to push on to East Dulwich on foot for some beer.  Our destination was Hop, Burns & Black - a unique shop that focuses on selling beer, hot sauce and vinyl.  Why? Because that's what owners Jen & Glenn are passionate about. Why not?

I've not got much of a heat tolerance, and Spotify is my best friend, so I was here for the beer. They've put together a great collection of bottles and cans from all over the world, though with 78 breweries in London at the latest count, I'm surprised there's room for much else these days.  

I'm on a bit of a smoke and sour binge at the moment, so I picked up a Buxton & Evil Twin Sour Pale, a Wild Beer Co. & Toccalmalto Indigo Child and a Moor Smoked Horyzon.  Paul grabbed himself an intriguing Stone Imperial Golden Stout whilst Luke delved in to the New Zealand section. 

Now here's the twist - you can open them up and drink them on site, without any extra charge for drinking in, just like at my old favourite Dr.Ink of Fulham (way ahead of its time).  Or you can get yourself a flagon (no, we're not calling them growlers, thankyou) and fill it up with fresh beer from their small selection of well-chosen taps (such as the superb Siren / Beavertown / Magic Rock Rule of Thirds IPA collaboration).  It's only a £3 deposit for a flagon - well worth it if you want to show off next time you go to a BYOB restaurant.

If none of Hop, Burns & Black's Holy Trinity float your boat, there's also a fine selection of cider and wine, plus local Volcano coffee beans and hot-sauce friendly snacks.  And even if you aren't a hot sauce & vinyl enthusiast, you'll enjoy a little window shopping.  The hot sauces are particularly entertaining, if a little terrifying.  Go and see for yourself.  It is #tryanuary after all.

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Before heading home, we did pop in to The Flying Pig next door which had been on my to-do list for some time.  Sadly, the beer list wasn't quite up to the high standards that have been set by the likes of Mother Kelly's and Beer Rebellion, so we didn't stay long.  If I lived locally I'd make use of it for sure, but it's not worth going out of the way for.  Perhaps their BBQ food is more noteworthy.

More local pubs: The Actress, The Montpelier, The Gowlett, Old Nun's Head, The Clock House, The Great Exhibition

The Flying Pig, East Dulwich

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Saturday 10th January - Whilst we're talking brunch, I must quickly mention Pimlico Fresh.  It's a cosy little café on Wilton Road, not too far from the wonderful Cask (where we settled afterwards), and the queues for their weekend offering tells you all you need to know.

Grab one of their enticing fresh juices or smoothies on the way in, panic order French Toast at the till, and wait for some space to come up on the communal table in the back.

I'm going to keep this one simple. Get the French Toast.  Sure, there are other delicious things.  Get the French Toast.

Go for Sweet with caramelised banana, cinnamon and creme fraiche, or Savoury with bacon and maple syrup.  I don't care which, just GET THE FRENCH TOAST, ok? Good. I'll see you there. 

P.S. They may well serve it on weekdays too, I was too busy eating to pay attention to anything really.  They don't have a website so just give them a call on 020 7932 0030.

Thanks to Sean, Paul, Francesca & Harriet for convincing me to get the French Toast.

Vagabundo - Crust Conductor - Small White Elephant

Saturday 13th December - Previous visits to Peckham have seen broken projectors and powercuts attempting to disrupt my plans.  Surely nothing could go wrong at brunch o'clock?

On a friend's recommendation, we went in search of Vagabundo, a "bastardised Brazilian BBQ" tucked away in the Ali Baba Bar behind the Bussey Building.  In my haste to make it look to my companions like I knew where I was going, I confidently walked in to someone's cupboard by mistake.  I was more careful after that, and we were soon sitting down inside Vagabundo's temporary home for some breakfast (served 10am-4pm on Sat & Sun).

After a lengthy discussion about jackfruit, we all settled on the Cassava Pancake with Slow Cooked Egg, Black Beans, Coriander and Smoked Ham Hock (£7) with unlimited Allpress Filter Coffee.  The brunch menu is pretty simple with slight variations on our dish, plus an enticing sweet version with Caramelised Banana, Doce de Leite, Cinnamon Yoghurt & Brazil Nuts.  Or you can mix sweet & salty with the "Brazilian Elvis" - Pancake with Fried Banana, Smoked Ham Hock, Peanut Butter & Brazil Nuts.

Cassava Pancake with Slow Cooked Egg, Black Beans, Coriander and Smoked Ham Hock

If you can't make it for brunch, look out for their £25 a head BYOB dinners which feature the likes of Feijoada Coxinhas with Grilled Pineapple & Chilli, and Coffee Braised Ox Cheek with Cassva Gnocchi and Fermented Red Onions.  They may be finished for the moment until 2015 so keep track of their Twitter & Tumblr feeds.

It's a busy little area around the Copeland Park industrial estate that's worth exploring.  There's some great street art, plus more food & drink options including the fabulous Forza Win.

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For our next stop, we made our way past the buzzing Peckham Refreshment Rooms on Blenheim Grove to reach the Brick Brewery.  With a Peckham Red Rye in hand, we made our way out to the front yard to find the Crust Conductor, a wood-fired pizza party bus from the man behind the local Gowlett Arms.

We were too stuffed full of Vagabundo brunch to consider pizza, but we did enjoy having the top floor of a converted bus to ourselves with frosty December lighting bursting through the windows.

It will be open again this weekend on Friday 19th & Saturday 20th December.  Who knows if it will be around here in 2015 - check their Twitter feed for updates.  And if you can't make it to the Crust Conductor, then there's always the Big Red Pizza bus in Deptford.

The Brick Brewery tap room is currently open Fri­day evenings 5pm-9pm and again on Satur­days from midday-9pm.  You can sample the core range of cask, keg or bot­tled beers as well as small run exclu­sives avail­able only at the tap room.

Matt The Tip : Drop in for another drink or two at Bar Story and Peckham Springs in the same section of railway arches as Brick Brewery.

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To close the loop, we walked down Choumert Grove and turned left on to Choumert Road.  The short stretch from here back to Rye Lane is packed full of goodies including Café Viva, Southerden, and Lois. A small, Andalucian tapas bar called Miss Tapas has just opened here this week too.

We settled though for Small White Elephant - Choumert Road's tea den / espresso joint / micro gallery / performance space / indoor jungle.  Oh, and book exchange.

It's a cosy spot for an Alchemy coffee and a read of The Peckham Peculiar if you can find a seat amongst the plants.  Push the boat out with a Vietnamese drip which is brewed directly in to the glass.

Vietnamese Drip Coffee

Drop by this Thursday (18th December) for their Christmastime Night Market (5pm-10pm) featuring stalls by local artists, coffee paraphernalia and free mince pies!

N.B. Small White Elephant is closed on Tuesdays.

For other top coffee options in Peckham, check out Chloe Callow's Peckham Cafe Guide on www.londonsbestcoffee.com.

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Peckham Restaurants - Begging Bowl // Artusi // Peckham Bazaar // Peckham Refreshment Rooms

Peckham Beers - Four Quarters // Beer Rebellion // Brick Brewery

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Candlemaker - Bow - Brick Brewery - Peckham Bazaar - Peckham Springs

Saturday 2nd November - On Friday November 1st, my local pub, The Candlemaker, celebrated their 1st birthday and announced a new Mexican street food residency hailing from Brighton called La Choza, just in time for Dia de los Muertos.  The pub takes its name from the candle factory that was in use for over 100 years in nearby York Road.  I popped in on Saturday afternoon with Flatmate Maggie to have a look at their new menu over a drink.

The La Choza menu is enticing and I have heard only good things so far.  Pick your base (burrito, quesadilla, burrito bowl), your filling (chorizo, pulled pork, roasted squash etc) and your sauce (go for XXXX Naga Ghost chilli salsa if you are feeling brave), and hand over £7.50.  They have also brought in some Mexican beers - Negra Modelo is the pick of the bunch.  There rotate 3 ales regularly, usually including something from Sambrook's Brewery which is round the corner.  They always have Laine's Best on for £2.70 - in my last post I was delighted with £3.30 pints at The Southampton Arms miles away in Gospel Oak, so having this round the corner makes me pretty happy!  You probably won't have come across Laine's Best as it comes from a microbrewery pub in Brighton called North Laine. Both pubs are owned by the same group - check Drink In London / Drink in Brighton to find their other locations.

It's a charming all-weather pub - there are two outdoor spaces for summer, whilst the cosy log cabin feel inside is perfect for winter. They have just strung up some new lights for their back garden which should look magical, though they can't currently switch them on without turning everything else off!  I hope they have a superb second year - The Candlemaker deserves to get noticed as a top London pub. Did I mention that they have a table for two tucked away with an Xbox? You're welcome!

On our way in to The Candlemaker we noticed a new street food van called Bow parked outside as part of the Battersea High Street Saturday food market.  We often wander down to Northcote Road on Saturdays where you can find the likes of Well Kneaded Wagon and Laura Amos' Dessert Deli, but this is much closer to home so we decided to give it our full support! 

Bow Food

Bow is run by a friendly chef called Nik who left his job working in the city to bring slow-cooked British comfort food to the streets.  He rotates between various adventurous dishes every day, and charges £6 for a very generous box of wholesome food.  Nik sensed our indecisiveness and gave us a bit of everything.  How can you choose between 12 hour beef in a tarragon jus with chatannay carrots, and 12 hour pork & veal meatballs in a sage cream sauce?  I devoured it in seconds.  A quick look at the website shows some other mouthwatering courses including 18 hour red wine braised lamb shoulder with fregola spinach and beetroots, and 13 hour coconut chicken with fresh turmeric, lime, and sour orange with quinoa. The veggie options also sound superb (not often you hear me say that) - e.g. 10 hour marrow & aubergine lasagne, spicy tomato sauce with red wine.  Nik only started trading just over a week ago so spread the word and seek Bow out. If you are reading, Kerb and Street Feast, sign him up!

Thus ended the Battersea segment of our day.  I convinced Maggie to ditch her plans to work all afternoon and come to Peckham to visit the Brick Brewery which was having an open day before launching properly in December.  We were joined by Sam, Lee and Jane (experienced railway arch microbrewery fans from Bermondsey).  Brick Brewery is a one man operation, run by Ian Stewart, who got into brewing when his wife bought him a home brew kit 3 years ago.  She may have regretted that as he has been brewing seriously ever since, and has finally put it all together in the form of Brick Brewery.

There were 6 ales available - Sir Thomas Gardyner (American Pale Ale), Peckham Porter, Archway Steam (California Common), Black IPA, Pale Ale and Chestnut.  We worked our way through all of them, except the Pale Ale which had run out by the time we arrived.  There was something for everyone - the American Pale Ale was my favourite though I would imagine that they will probably be tweaked before I taste them again as this was a pilot brew.  

Ian has already got an excellent setup with plenty of room for tables which other London microbreweries may well envy.  He is aiming to open up his brewery tap on weekends starting in December, and hopefully launch a bottled range early next year.  There is also Bar Story and Peckham Springs a couple of arches down, and Peckham Refreshment Rooms round the corner, so the location is superb.

The day took an unexpected turn when all the lights went out at about 17.30.  We assumed that this was just Brick Brewery teething problems but it turned out to be a local powercut which was also preventing trains stopping at Peckham Rye station!  Local businesses immediately got their candles out and Bar Story & Peckham Springs looked particularly stunning with their new lighting.  We were heading off to dinner, but we decided to return later to make the most of the unique atmosphere.

Despite having only eaten the delicious Bow food a few hours before, I was ready for another meal, and walked for about 10 minutes to a very quiet part of Peckham to reach Peckham Bazaar.  People have been raving about it so I was only too happy to book when Lee & Jane suggested going there for supper.  It wasn't busy when we arrived just after 6pm, but it was fully booked later on so make sure you reserve a table. It is open Thu-Fri 6-11pm and Sat-Sun 12.30-11pm.

There is nothing else anywhere near Peckham Bazaar so head towards the lights when you get to the top of Heaton Road.  The first thing you will see is head chef John Gionleka cooking up a storm over an open fire on the terrace outside.  It is incredible what he achieves in such a small space!  It must be lovely to eat al fresco in the summer in front of the kitchen, but indoors is a delightful, cosy space - perfect for a chilly November evening.

Peckham Bazaar only took off a couple of months ago as John was previously running it as a daytime deli.  There wasn't much passing trade so he concocted some more adventurous dishes and opened the restaurant as a popup - I believe it is now permanent, correct me if I am wrong!  John is Albanian, and the food is described as Pan-Balkan.  Rather than making difficult decisions, we decided to trust them and order pretty much everything on the menu with the Mediterranean Red Mullet from the specials board as there were 5 fish and 5 of us!  To drink, we ordered a Bulgarian red wine and some bottles of Efes.

It worked well as a sharing meal, although it was hard to watch 4 other people taking my delicious food away.  I felt that the starters were almost stronger than the mains, and not much smaller.  The Fish Souvlaki was superb, as was the Kibbeh Nayyeh (lamb tartare).  From our excellent 5 main courses, the Pheasant (with braised chestnut and quince, barberry and saffron pilaf) stood out for me, along with the Grilled Rabbit which was cooked to perfection.  Every dish deserve its place on the menu, and I would order exactly the same way next time.  The menu changes regularly so don't be disappointed if you can't get your fix of creamed borlotti beans - I'm sure everything will be mouth watering.  If you want some more photos of some older menus, head to the Timeout review here.

The staff were friendly and informative. They were amused that I tweeted a picture of their toilets before anything about the food - it was a funky design!  The housing pattern on the walls of the main room was also eye catching.  I can't recommend this place highly enough, it is truly one of London's hidden gems (a phrase that has been overused this year!) - book now! P.S. Cash only.

We made our way back to the railway arches where the power was still out.  Bar Story were shutting early so we headed straight to Peckham Springs, another summer popup which now seems to be permanent.  Peckham Springs is a bar attached to the Sassoon Gallery, serving up £6 cocktails to a hipster crowd.  They had just set up their new lights which would have looked wonderful, especially outside, but I was very taken with the candlelit setup as you can probably tell.

The classic cocktails are a bargain at £6, giving Seven at Brixton's £5 drinks a run for their money. They are even cheaper during happy hour from 6-7.  The solid beer selection includes Brooklyn Lager and Curious IPA.  If you get peckish, street food vans park up in the spacious yard outside - check the website to see who will be there. Tongue and Cheek, Fundi Pizza, French and Grace and Mother Flipper amongst others are turning up before Christmas.

Sam's inner choir boy coming out

Aperol Spritz going to Maggie's head

The atmosphere was pretty special - the barmen were having a great time, and the bar looked magical. I suggested that they scrap their new lighting and do this every week!

By the time we left it was packed, although they obviously had some of Bar Story's regular clientele as well.  They currently only open Fridays and Saturdays from 6-12 in the evenings.  Once Brick Brewery is open on the weekends, you could spend a whole day in the secluded courtyard of archways - beer, street food, two bars with great happy hours and a friendly crowd. Who knows what else will be open here in a year's time.

Maggie went home and the rest of us moved on to a friend's house for a couple of drinks, but I had to return to Peckham Springs later to find Maggie's purse.  Luckily, it hadn't moved - the hipsters probably thought it was an art installation and admired it from afar.  Who knew that walking through Peckham in the pitch black on your own, with no phone signal and no trains home, could be such a pleasant experience?  Well done Peckham - they should have a powercut every week!

Team List - Maggie moves ahead of Sam in to 4th place, whilst Lee joins Tim in 6th on 27 points. Jane moves to 20 points, closing in on Taro who is in 9th on 21.  It's very close in the Top 10.