Eric’s Bakery
It was with heavy hearts that we bid farewell to Borough Market’s superlative bakery Flor last year. But London Bridge’s loss is East Dulwich’s gain, because Flor’s former head baker Helen Evans has opened her own bakehouse, Eric’s Bakery, in SE22.
The neighbourhood has been crying out for a bougie bakery ever since Brick House closed its doors in 2020, so here’s hoping Eric’s will fill the baker’s hole. Like Flor, the bakery champions UK-grown wheat produce, with house-made sourdough, croissants, morning buns, donuts and focaccia all promised on the menu.
Eric’s Bakery, 20 Upland Road, London SE22 9EF.
Friday 8am-3pm & Saturday 9am-3pm.
www.instagram.com/ericslondon/
Bottle Bar and shop
Calling all cocktail lovers!
If you live in the vicinity of SE6, you’d do well to familiarise yourself with Catford’s Bottle Bar and Shop.
Its pre-batched, bottled cocktails are a cut above (most come badged with Great Taste stickers) and will save you the hard work of sourcing quality spirits, struggling over measurements and attempting to make a cocktail shaker out of a pair of glasses on a Friday night, when all you really want to do is kick back with your drink of choice.
The Easter Martini was a recent special, but the menu also boasts classics like the negroni, margarita and a twisted old fashioned, as well as its own signatures like the gingerbread espresso martini. Happy sipping!
Bottle Bar and Shop, 2 Catford Broadway, London SE6 4SP.
Wednesday & Thursday, 4pm – 10pm; Friday 3pm – 11pm & Saturday 1pm – 11pm.
Peckham Arches
A sister site to Peckham’s recently opened listening bar Skylarking and west London’s The Hawk’s Nest, Peckham Arches is a multi-purpose event space taking over five railway arches and two disused yards, right by Peckham Rye station.
The 600-capacity venue boasts a dance floor and screening room as well as a strong cocktail and street food offering.
Stretching its appeal beyond the party crowd, Peckham Arches is promising monthly events including music, quizzes, comedy nights and weekend markets. Watch this space (and their Instagram page) for details.
Peckham Arches, 26 Blenheim Grove, London SE15 4QL.
Tuesday & Wednesday, 4pm – 10:30pm; Thursday & Friday, 4pm – 12am; Saturday 12pm – 12am.
The Rosarium
It seems our appetite for Alice in Wonderland-themed experiences is insatiable.
Les Enfants Terribles’ hit immersive show Alice’s Adventures Underground returns to Waterloo this autumn, but to whet our appetites is a new, adjoining themed restaurant and bar The Rosarium, opening this May.
It looks set to be a relatively fancy affair, promising to offer a Wonderland twist on the quintessential English garden.
The menu comes from executive chef Harvey Ayliffe, whose CV boasts stints at grand institutions including Bentley’s in Piccadilly and The Ivy West End.
A peek at the menu promises Woodland mushroom soup with truffled straws, and a ‘Queen of Hearts’ jam tart – be sure to gobble it down before the queen comes looking.
The Rosarium, Waterloo Station, London SE1 8SW.
Opens May 2023.
www.thisislabyrinth.com/rosarium/
Lasdun
While there was nothing inherently wrong with the food and drink offering at the National Theatre, it certainly wasn’t inspiring.
Then last year came a new indoor street food market run by kings of grab-and-go dining, KERB.
Now, the guys behind Hackney’s popular gastropub The Marksman are taking over the theatre’s chief House Restaurant and renaming it Lasdun (after the architect Denys Lasdun who designed the National Theatre).
A relatively formal affair, the 90-cover restaurant boasts a marble oyster counter and a separate private dining room, and promises “brasserie style dishes brought to life through a classic yet contemporary lens”.
Oh, and seasonal pies.
Lasdun, National Theatre, Upper Ground, London SE1 9PX.
Opening May 2023.
Boudica
A compromise for foodies dining with their more aesthetically minded peers: chef Luigi Vairo, formerly of Corrigan’s in Mayfair, is heading up the kitchen at this suave opening, hoping to suck up some of the human traffic visiting Battersea Power Station.
His menu will focus on home-grown produce, serving dishes that sound distinctly British (salt-baked celeriac and marinated Welsh lamb cutlets are on the opening line-up), while promising to borrow from international influences too.
Instagrammers will also be catered for, with plenty of woodland foliage and mood lighting to spruce up their snaps.
Boudica, Boudica House, 12 Palmer Road, London SW11 4FQ.
Opens April 28.
