BRUNCH. What a great word, or portmanteau rather (that's right Mum, I know some long ones). It's certainly a better creation than cabarenaissance and croissandwich. (See also: Zonkey and Wholphin)
FACT TIME! My spy in the QI elf department may say otherwise, but Wikipedia tells me that brunch originated in Britain in the late 1800s:
"Instead of England's early Sunday dinner, a postchurch ordeal of heavy meats and savory pies, why not a new meal, served around noon, that starts with tea or coffee, marmalade and other breakfast fixtures before moving along to the heavier fare? By eliminating the need to get up early on Sunday, brunch would make life brighter for Saturday-night carousers. It would promote human happiness in other ways as well. "Brunch is cheerful, sociable and inciting." Beringer wrote. "It is talk-compelling. It puts you in a good temper, it makes you satisfied with yourself and your fellow beings, it sweeps away the worries and cobwebs of the week."
— William Grimes, "At Brunch, The More Bizarre The Better" New York Times, 1998
I tend to work on the weekends, often missing out on that magical and mysterious meal time, but I have started 2015 as I mean to go on - with lots of brunch, from Pedler to Pimlico Fresh.
..
Pedler in Peckham Rye is a new all-day neighbourhood joint from the local Little Bird Gin folk.
If you've been to their charming bar on Maltby Street Market, then the Pedler décor won't surprise you. I saw someone describe it as having an airy antique yard feel - let's go with that. Although, the odd shape of the site they have inherited means that the design isn't consistent throughout; we were directed towards a secluded booth that lacked the brunch buzz of the main room.
Climpsons & Sons coffee kept us company whilst we tried to decode the menu. Frizzle chicken? Bubble? Dumpkins? Attitude sauce? Gingerella? Lemon on toast? Ok, the last one I can do. Friendly staff were on hand to explain the rest.
Here's what we went for:
- Home Cured Peck'Ham, Ricotta & Sage "French Toastie" - £7
- Frizzle Chicken, Brioche, Parmesan, Attitude Sauce & Pickles - £8
- Banger Sarnie, Red Onion Jam, Coleman's Mustard, Cheddar - £6
- Avocado, Slow Roast Tomatoes, Lemon on Toast - £5
- Wild Mushroom & Kentish Kale Bruschetta, Poached Egg - £7
- Sunday Breakie - Smoked Bacon, Sausage, Slow Roast Tomato, Mushroom, Bubble, Poached Eggs, Toast and Maple Salted Butter - £9
There wasn't much sharing going on, which is usually a good sign. The "French Toastie" (a toasted sandwich with French toast) received a lot of praise from Jo The Sis, and the Frizzle (fried) Chicken with its spicy "Attitude Sauce" seemed to disappear pretty quickly. Sunday Breakie could have been better, with inconsistent eggs and maple toast that didn't quite work, but the ball of "bubble" (not squeak) was a nice addition. The rest were happily dispatched.
We finished off with a large Dumpkin (£2) - a Pedler Doughnut filled with sweet pumpkin cream. The filling was more paste than cream, and the dumpkin was almost cake-like rather than doughy, but it was an enjoyable treat nonetheless.
We weren't in a boozy brunch mood, so the familiar Little Bird cocktails (Barrel Aged Negroni, Peck'em Martini, Maltby Mary) didn't get an outing on this occasion, but at £6-8 you can't go far wrong.
The same goes for the food really. The Sunday Breakie was the most expensive item on the menu at £9, with everything else around the £7 mark, and on the whole ample portion sizes. Whilst I've had better brunches, it's early days for Pedler and I imagine it will go from strength to strength.
As we were leaving, the Sunday Lunch dishes were starting to appear, and the roasts looked incredible. I'll be back for Dr.Pepper Glazed Pig Loin and some Sea Stuff (?). There's also an entirely separate Lunch & Dinner menu on which I spotted Smoked Salmon with Quiquiriqui Mezcal Butter on Rye (!) amongst other delights. If they can pull off these quirky dishes, I'm sure you'll be reading a lot more about Pedler soon. Return visit required.
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