I am the opposite of a moth. Show me a dim, candlelit setting and I’m instantly drawn to it. Thus, one of the reasons I visited Little Cellars, a small wine bar and bistro on the corner of Camberwell Church Street.
Little Cellars is the little sister of Peckham Cellars, just down the road. Serving seasonal plates and eclectic European wines, the bistro is chic, but casual, with white-green walls, high-top tables and low window counter seating. It’s bright by day and intimate by night, with candles casting dancing shadows on the tables while chef Ollie Lawrance runs the kitchen.
The former Terroirs chef has made himself at home in this cosy kitchen and serves plates that deliciously complement the extensive, rotating wines that can be bought in the Cellar Next Door, the bistro’s adjoining wine shop. On this evening visit we ordered orange wines, made when the skin of white grapes is left on, adding a fermented, citrusy layer of flavour. But it wasn’t the wine that caught my attention. It was chef Lawrance’s cheddar beignets.
Posted on Little Cellars’ Instagram, it was lust at first sight. Crispy on the outside, but gooey, melty, creamy and cheesy within, these warm little balls of love made me fondly nostalgic for American South cuisine – carb-packed and bad for cholesterol, but so damn comforting and good for the soul.
The plate arrived with four beignets that I could’ve easily devoured had I not already offered to share, and were served with a dark green gherkin sauce, and topped with chives and grated parmesan. We ordered these with a plate of salami – sliced and swirled around the plate, and sourdough bread – bouncy and stretchy, with a crisp crust and unpasteurised butter, another fun quirk here.
Cheddar beignets
Hake with parsley root and langoustine bisque
Pork belly with heritage carrots and burnt apple
By this point, I questioned whether we ordered too much – a classic move that I’ll never not make – but then our server dropped off a crispy pork belly. The pork, deliciously crisp on every edge and corner, was served with heritage carrots and burnt apple. It was juicy and tender, and left me wanting more.
And more we received as an elegant hake landed at the table. Cod’s milder cousin, the hake was served with parsley root and langoustine bisque, and topped with chives. Absorbing the flavour of the heavy bisque, this plate was destined for seafood lovers transitioning from fresh, cool summer to warm and cosy fall.
Dessert also celebrated the changing of the seasons with a glorious bowl of poached plums and a quenelle of vanilla mascarpone, fig leaf oil and brandy snaps. It was autumn on a plate. The plums, poached to a red-orange hue, resembled fresh-fallen leaves and were juicy, sweet and seasoned with the season’s familiar spices. It tasted like cinnamon, clove and nutmeg, with the brandy snap adding the necessary crunch.
Little Cellars is a big hit, and if this is a taste of what can be found at its predecessor in Peckham, I’m more than eager to visit. Full and happy, we asked for the bill, replaying the highlights of the evening – the orange-gold wines and how they glowed by candlelight, the crispy pork, comforting bisque, succulent plums, fabulous service and those dreamy cheddar beignets.
75 Camberwell Church Street
Camberwell
London
SE5 8TU
October 2024
