Why do we eat out? To socialise? Treat ourselves? Admire someone else’s culinary expertise? Nourish ourselves with none of the mess? To *shudder* ‘help out’? It could be any or all of those reasons really, but my point is that it’s not always about what’s on our plate or in our glass.
A Camberwell newbie Little Cellars, a younger, less fussy sibling to Peckham Cellars, the short, precise menu seems to act as more of a vehicle for the experience as a whole.
This, in winter, involves hunkering down around a buzzy, candlelit table and alternating between raising a glass and fork, which will inevitably transport something delicious into your mouth.
Seriously, between the low music, distant clatter of pans in the open kitchen and the fact that on a weekend evening, you’re likely to find every other table in the 24-cover bar in a haze of hijinks, the place cries out for news to be shared and gossip whispered over its high tables.
It comes from hospitality trio Helen Hall, Luke West-Whylie and Ben McVeigh, who had been eyeing up the site on Camberwell Church Street for some time before purchasing and eventually opening up shop in September 2023.
Little Cellars founders Ben McVeigh, Helen Hall and Luke West-Whylie
It’s a wine bar first and foremost, with a list shorter than that found at its Peckham original, but a commitment for those available by the glass – just four whites, five reds, three oranges and a sparkling on our visit – to change frequently, so that, in their own words, “there will always be something exciting to try”.
It was a Friday night when my companion and I made it down, so naturally, a made-it-through-the-week glass of Champalou Vouvray was in order. Golden and dry, it was just the celebratory ticket.
A subsequent glass of Trebbiano from the boutique Cosimo Maria Masini vineyard in Tuscany was also very good – and an example of Little Cellars’ passion for sourcing interesting bottles from all over Europe.
The food menu is equally succinct and likely to change at a moment’s notice.
In charge is head chef Ollie Lawrance, a new face on the Cellars team. Glancing at the offering on the bar’s Instagram page just days after our visit, I noticed Ollie had already swapped out several of the inspired inventions we tried.
If I could petition for one non-serious cause this week, it would be to make permanent the plate of ‘crispy enoki mushroom’: a deep-fried shell encasing juicy, stringy innards that could have fooled even the most die-hard carnivore into believing they were eating pulled pork. Dipped in a salty, tangy walnut ketchup, they were lip-smackingly good.
What else?
There were lightly fried hunks of Jerusalem artichokes, inventively sprinkled with crispy tendrils of leek and served with a bright green puddle of leek jus, cocooned in creamy goat’s curd. There were pink fir potatoes in a gloopy truffle sauce, sporting a wig of shaved parmesan. They were relatively unfancy, following the mushroom and artichoke, but just the stodge required to see you through One More Glass – and at £6 a plate, they won’t break the bank.
There was also a hunk of pollock, straddling a sea of garlicky beurre blanc and a shore of glistening greens. Salted with flecks of bacon, it would work just as well as a solo dish for any diner who doesn’t fancy sharing small plates.
Bottles from the rotating wine list at Little Cellars
A cheese plate, served unceremoniously with Jacob’s crackers, was forgettable. The miso chocolate of the petit fours was too salty and intense – a shame, when miso can really lift a chocolate dish. Neither was awful though, and they’ll probably have been replaced by the time you’re reading this anyway.
What’s clear is that chef Ollie is having fun with the menu, without detracting attention from the wines.
I’ll certainly be returning come a new season to see what spins he puts on spring or summer classics.
With the promise of a 16-seater terrace on warm days, Little Cellars is seemingly equipped to shed its winter cosiness when the time comes.
No rush with that, mind, for this snug bar-cum-dining-room is exactly the sort of place to get warm and merry over the cold, dark months of winter.
The damage (for 2):
Glass of Vouvray Champalou = £10
Glass of Trebbiano = £7.5
Sabadi Bergamot and soda = £4
Cheese plate = £10
Jerusalem artichokes with goat’s curd and leeks = £10
Crispy enoki mushroom = £13.50
Pink fir potatoes with truffle aioli and parmesan = £6
Pollock with bacon, greens and seaweed beurre blanc = £17.50
Petit four = £6
TOTAL: £84.50
Food & Drink: 4 STARS
Ambience: 5 STARS
Value: 5 STARS
Disabled access: YES
Disabled toilet: NO
Booking: YES
Little Cellars, 75 Camberwell Church Street, London SE5 8TU.
Wednesday – Sunday, 5pm – 11pm.
