Peckham Cellars, a new neighbourhood wine bar and kitchen from long-time friends and industry veterans Helen Hall, Luke West-Whylie and Ben McVeigh, will open its doors this Thursday 9th January. Peckham Cellars is a stone’s throw from Queens Road Peckham station. Consisting of a wine bar, restaurant and wine shop, featuring a seasonal and regularly changing menu and wine list.
The bar menu includes rosemary and garlic salami; potato dauphines with Cornish gouda and their ‘dirty onion’ tortilla. In the restaurant area, diners can feast on a menu of small and large plates with a focus on flavour and high-quality produce sourced from nearby suppliers Flock and Herd and London Smoke & Cure.
Dishes from their opening menu include eel, ‘nduja and pickled green tomatoes; carrot & feta borek with red onion salsa and Ironbark pumpkin, roscoff and hazelnuts. Larger plates include day-boat Cornish brill, fava and salsa verde; and onglet with Colston Bassett, smashed potatoes and aioli. Every Sunday the team will lovingly prepare their spin on a Sunday lunch, a set menu with sides to share family style and optional ‘afters’ such as sticky toffee pudding or babka with crème fraiche.
The 80-strong wine list at Peckham Cellars has been curated by sommelier and co-founder Ben, who has built an eclectic yet accessible line-up with a focus on great wines that don’t break the bank.
The opening selection features wines from small and innovative producers from emerging wine regions such as Greece, Slovenia and Tenerife alongside ‘Stone Cold Classics’ from Bordeaux and Burgundy. McVeigh has also introduced a selection dedicated to ‘Weird and Wonderful’ wines, a short and sharp list which aims to surprise and educate even the most experienced wine drinkers. Wines by the glass change on a weekly basis, with the use of Coravin perseveration allowing the team to offer tasters from top-end bottles.
Should guests take a liking to their tipple, all wines on the menu are available to purchase at the Peckham Cellars bottle shop.
Peckham Cellars is driven by a close-knit team who have poured years of experience into the new opening. Helen, whose CV includes time in the kitchen of Rovi, oversees the kitchen alongside Head Chef Jay Claus, previously at Quo Vadis, Morito and Bao. Luke, formerly of Marcella in Deptford and The Jones Family Kitchen leads the front of house team, while Ben, formerly head sommelier at 28-50 Fetter Lane, heads up the bar and bottle shop.
Peckham Cellars – 125 Queens Road, Peckham, London, SE15 2ND – Opening Thursday 9th January