Overview
Location: Peckham
Price per head: £40 – £50
Our opinion: Great value
Summary: A modern Indian spot serving a combination of classic and modern sharer dishes in a relaxed yet refined venue. The food is delicious and the value extremely fair.
After taking a week off from the podcast to go away on holiday (sorry gang) we were back at it last weekend. To make up for our brief hiatus we wanted to do a big episode and explore Peckham, an area of London that we don’t venture to all that often. The only reason we don’t do Peckham much is because it is very far away from us. 90 minutes on public transport is never that fun, so when we make the journey we want to make it count.
Peckham is an area of London which is constantly getting more and more attention from those of us who are gastronomically inclined, with new cool eateries and bars seemingly constantly cropping up. We decided to have a day out there and try a few of them out. In this blog I am going to talk about the places we tried and what we thought of them. I want to point out that this is not a comprehensive list as there are just too many spots to cover in one day, but what I am laying out is a few nice places you could hit up for a top notch day out.
We had our main meal at Kokum, a new Indian spot that has opened up on the border of Peckham and East Dulwich. This was a spot that I had been keen to try since Grace Dent gave it a rave review, and we were not disappointed! I will talk through all the wonderful things we tried here in detail too.
The day out
Our day started with a hunt for sausage rolls. Eric’s is a bakery in East Dulwich that we have heard sells incredible ones, along with all sorts of wonderful baked goods and treats. When we arrived we were unfortunately left incredibly disappointed, not because the food was no good, but because there was no food left! We got there at 13:30 and they were totally sold out. They open at 9:00 and we have now learnt that the best stuff sells out within 2 hours, and everything is gone within just over 3. Apparently the queue is always round the corner. So, if you want to try what this place has to offer, make sure you head there early! And let me know what the food is like if you get lucky.
Our plan had been to eat our goodies on a walk back to Peckham through Peckham Rye Park and Nunhead cemetery. We did the walk, just with slightly emptier stomachs than we would have liked. Regardless, the walk was lovely. Nunhead cemetery is a particular standout, a real oasis of calm in London. It is very overgrown, with centuries old headstones covered in moss and tilted askew, and somehow has much fresher air than the surrounding urban landscape. It was a nice tranquil stroll on our way back to the hustle of Peckham central.
Our first stop in Peckham proper was Brick Brewery. Located just outside Peckham Rye station, this is one of my favourite breweries in London. The venue itself is nothing special, but is a classic London brewery, located under a railway archway it has inside and outside seating and serves decent street food. The food is ‘Latin street food’, think tacos, burgers with slow cooked carnitas, and fried chicken strips.
The reason I like Brick Brewery so much though is because of their beers. They offer a number of classics which are popular across London, like the Peckham Session IPA, but I go there for their sour beers. Now sour beers are not to everyone’s taste, and even I wouldn’t want to drink them all day, but I absolutely love having one of 2 of them. The Strawberry and Cucumber sour is my favourite sour of all, so if you are curious about trying one of these beers give this one a go!
After Brick Brewery we headed to a rooftop wine bar we had been excited about trying out for a while. This place is called Forza Wine and we had booked a table as we didn’t want to be disappointed. It was pretty busy there and this was in March, so I suspect that in summer it is stupidly rammed. We loved it here. The views were incredible, the wine list was extensive and had a good range of reasonably priced options and the food looked tasty, although we didn’t actually eat anything here. The menu was made up of modern European small plates which, whilst not particularly novel in London, seems the perfect match for the venue.
There is inside and outside seating at this place, as well as a private room that can be reserved for parties. This is a great option for those who like food and wine and want to enjoy it with a stunning view. A lot of you will know about Frank’s Cafe in Peckham, a rooftop bar with equally good views that, whilst being a great spot, cannot be booked. If you want to guarantee your rooftop spot, head to Forza Wine.
After this we headed to Kokum for dinner. We had a fantastic meal here and thoroughly recommend you try it out. I go into detail in the Restaurant Review section of this blog below.
After dinner we went for a stroll and stumbled upon a great little cocktail bar called Funkidory. This low lit cosy little spot served tasty cocktails and played great vinyl. The vibe in here was fantastic and the staff were very welcoming. You can book, but we managed to get away without doing so. I can’t help but think that a place like this in East London would be rammed constantly and spontaneous walk-ins would be out of the question, so I loved that we were able to walk in and sit down with no hassle.
After a couple of great cocktails, it was time to traipse back across London. Whilst the journey home was long we were in great spirits after a wonderful day out. Wherever you live in London I think you should be forming plans for your next Peckham day out, you won’t regret it.
Restaurant Review
As noted earlier in the blog, we loved this place. It served top quality modern Indian cuisine, with classic dishes offered alongside more inventive and less common counterparts. The decor felt contemporary, the atmosphere relaxed, and the service attentive.
Our waiter advised that the food was designed to be shared, but suggested that a starter and main dish per person (plus requisite rice and breads). There were 4 of us at dinner and I think this was the perfect amount because it meant that we got to try a load of dishes but also meant that we got a reasonable amount of each.
An element of the menu that I really liked at this place was how they had combined classic dishes with more modern ones. They had butter chicken and lamb rogan josh, but they also had pan fried seabass and beef short rib. It was great to be able to order classics and push the boat out at the same time.
Overall the menu was incredibly interesting, reasonably priced and, most importantly, genuinely tasty. This isn’t your average curry house, this is something special. If you like modern Indian food and want another option from Dishoom or Kricket, this is a spot that should be high up on your list.
Let’s take a look at what we ordered.
Starters
Raan Uthappam
This was slow cooked lamb on a rice pancake and served with mango chutney. The lamb was so soft and the depth of flavour in the sauce was incredible. Beautifully spiced with Indian aromas flowing through it, the sauce was mopped up by the soft pancake, and the sweetness of the chutney cut through the richness. Delicious.
Fish Koliwada
So when this got placed down in front of us I was a little worried. The fish had been battered and fried in similar fashion to a pakora, but it was so black it looked burnt. Upon trying it however it was clear this was not the case. I am not sure what gave the batter its colour, but it tasted great. Served with chilli aioli and a tempered pea guacamole, the soft fish and the flavoursome sauces came together to deliver a well balanced plate of food.
Dahi Puri
Little crispy cups filled with yoghurt, tamarind, coriander, mint, moong sprouts and potato. There was a lot of flavour in these messy little things. Personally I found them a little sweet and not quite as interesting as some of the other things we tried. They were fresh and pleasant to eat, but I think I will try something different next time.
Smoked cashew nut and cheese samosa
One of the really interesting and modern twists on classic dishes. These samosas were filled with goats cheese, cashews, ginger and chilli. They packed a lot of flavour, the pastry was wonderfully crispy and crumbly and the smokeyness of the cashew worked brilliantly. It was served with ‘berry murabba’ which was some sort of compote that, on its own, was stupidly sweet, but when paired with the cheesy flavour of the samosa worked very nicely. This is a fun dish that you should make sure you try.
Mains
Lamb Rogan Josh
This is a classic curry that you are likely to find on any Indian restaurant menu. It is classic for a reason, and one of my favourite options to order. We tried this and were not disappointed. The lamb was soft, the sauce was deep red and deep in flavour, and it was great to mop up with rice and bread. A classic dish delivered perfectly.
Short Rib Nihari
I havent really eaten beef curry before. They aren’t common given the cow’s sacred status in India. When I saw it on the menu I knew I wanted to try this out.
It was served bone in, in a spiced sauce and crispy onions on top. The beef was, once again, melted in the mouth and the sauce was rich. The crispy onion brought some texture and overall the dish was just wonderful.
Seabass
This dish was marked as a house signature on the menu. It is very deserving of the title. The fish was pan fried and coated in a sambar dust. Served on top of dosa potato and paired with a white moilee and mustard sauce, the whole thing came together wonderfully. The potato was soft and buttery and the sauce was subtle but delicious and warming. I adored this dish, with my only complaint being that sharing between 4 meant we didn’t get much each.
Paneer Makhani
A creamy & buttery tomato sauce with soft paneer. Subtle hints of spice throughout. This was another well rounded, more classical dish. A decent portion size and plenty of sauce to dollop on any remaining rice. A good vegetarian option too!
Sides
We got a couple of pulao rice was fluffy and nutty and a decent sized portion. We got a garlic naan and a roti to share between the 4 of us. The garlic naan was exactly what one would expect from the dish, buttery, garlicky and perfect for mopping up the delicious sauces. The roti however left much to be desired. It was dry and bland and felt a little low effort, which really surprised us given the quality of everything else we had eaten. This in no way took away from what was a fantastic meal overall.
Drinks
We also slurped down a cocktail each to kick off the meal. I had the Mirchi Margarita which had a mild kick to it, but nothing too overwhelming. Louise had the Kalcutta cosmo that she felt was slightly too sweet for her liking. Our friends had the Queen ‘Seed’ Negroni which, as Negroni fans, they loved. They noted it was very cardamon-y and quite sweet, but they thought it worked well.
Conclusion
We had a really enjoyable evening and ate very memorable food. The restaurant was extremely good value, we couldn’t stretch to dessert given how full we were, and the service was lovely. Whilst it was a long journey for us to get here we will certainly be making the trek again.
