Levan is one of those restaurants that, when you mention it to someone whose been, their eyes light up and they immediately start to gush about how great it was.
You’ll find it in a former warehouse block off Rye Lane filled with mid-century furnishings and minimalist decor. There are old vinyl records sitting on shelves alongside bottles of low-intervention wine, and fresh pastries sitting in the large brass-framed windows.
It’s a little slice of Paris sitting squarely in Peckham.
It comes to us from Nicholas Balfe, who impressed everyone and their aunt with his debut restaurant, Salon. Here, he’s put together a menu of a Modern European food & drink, and it hasn’t really stopped being both innovative and impressive over the years it’s been open.
The day starts with said freshly baked pastries and savoury tartines (toasted bread) topped with the likes of house-cured salmon, goat’s curd and pickled elderberries. Lunches are light, with dishes like potato, chanterelle and Vacherin pie or fig salad with candied walnuts & Tymsboro goat’s cheese; while the more romantic, candle-lit evening sessions have classic bistro fare like smoked pollock with spinach, asparagus and vin jaune; and 50-day aged rump cap, with wild garlic aioli and grilled calçots.
Half the space is taken up by a bar area, which is where all that low-intervention wine comes into its own – and in fact, the selection is pretty sizeable. There are a couple of dozen available by the glass/carafe, and several times that by the bottle. They even make their way into the cocktails, which include a White (Riesling, vermouth, and gin) and a Red (vodka, red vermouth, and orange).
And to cap it all, Levan has a low-waste philosophy, aiming to reuse at least 90% of leftover ingredients to make useful products including tinctures for the botanicals, and a house curd made out of excess steamed milk from the coffee bar.
Nothing cheesy about that.
NOTE: Levan is open Tues-Sun, all day (till 3pm Sun). You can make a booking, and find out more at their website HERE.
Levan | 12-16 Blenheim Grove, SE15 4QL
Like dining out in the area? Check out our guide to the Best Restaurants in Peckham