Restaurants

By Charmaine Mok

Deptford’s newest eating and drinking destination cashes in on the kitsch – this isn’t your ordinary caff on the corner, but a 1960s train carriage-cum-art hub and eaterie. The Orient Express it is not, but we think it’s probably a touch more fun. Where else can you powder your nose in a converted garden-shed loo to the smooth tunes of Elvis Presley?

Located just off the shoulder-to-shoulder crush of Deptford High Street market, the heavily-graffitied carriage stands a little sheepishly in the middle of the old railway yard, which is in the midst of an ambitious regeneration project that will connect the yard to Deptford station. Soon, the space will play host to works of local artists, musicians and performers.

On our visit, chirpy, if nervous, staff prepared for their first weekend of duty, serving home-style food with not-too-ambitious hot and cold options. Chunky potato salad came cloaked in just the right amount of mayo, with a crisp and verdant salad on the side. A chickpea curry with turmeric-spiced basmati rice was a highlight, fluffy cakes and muffins were excellent, and made – we were told – with eggs from The Deptford Project’s own free-range chickens (kept elsewhere).

Inside the carriage there were no tattered seats in sight. All original fittings had been replaced with a long, colourful table, hand-painted stools and quirky lampshades. A warm, sun-filled patio was filled with local punters, ranging from breast-feeding mums to jovial pensioners sipping cuppas while rifling through the weekend papers. A happy, dreadlocked customer with two children in tow bellowed a promise to return the following week for a sausage sandwich. We were slightly surprised by the lack of students from nearby Goldsmiths; this new joint isn’t as esoteric as it seems, but rather a wind-down spot for all the community.

Time Out Issue 1978: July 17-23 2008