Restaurants

They say competition is good for you, and so it has proved for this East Dulwich stalwart. Now that SE22 has morphed into Nappy Valley, it’s bristling with purveyors of croissants and cappuccinos, most of them serviceable. So this funky old grand dame, with its mosaic-tiled patio and wooden interior, has raised its game accordingly. Its ‘full monty’ breakfast and mouth-watering lunches – great hot stews in winter, good salads and meze in summer, and for a calorific blast, roast vegetable ciabatta with melted cheese – are generously sized and freshly cooked by a kitchen that gives a damn. And a wide selection of superlative cakes and pastries keeps it high in the ‘nipping in for a treat’ stakes. The place has been remodelled from the cave-like original, and is now open-plan and welcoming, with a rainbow-coloured mosaic in the back garden to match the one out front. Service has also improved, thanks to a central bar counter around which the charming young staff gravitate. A new wine list is being introduced, along with evening opening, in autumn 2007.

Time Out Eating & Drinking Guide 2008