Ciaran Goes To Pedler

This time last week I was making sure that I ate very little throughout the day as I prepared myself to head down to Peckham to have my very first Pedler experience. Having been open for six weeks or so prior to my visit, everything seemed to be working like a finely oiled machine and upon entry my journey to the table was as smooth as can be and we were fortunate enough to be in the presence of a good mannered waitress who was willing to put up with a pair of giggling 20-somethings who clearly weren't doing a great job of pretending to know what they were doing.

One of the things that made Pedler of such great interest to me was that they're firmly attached to Little Bird Gin and the gin cocktail menu that accompanied the food and wine menus was my very first port of call. I'd never seriously considered hibiscus and gin before but my first drink was a delightful infusion that may well lead to me venturing further from tonic or lemonade in my search for gin partners. That being said, their gin and tonic was mixed to perfection and made for a steady accompaniment to the rest of my meal.

Opening up the eating with a pair of delicious crab blinis, which I had to scoff on my own due to not being aware enough to realise that my Jewish companion couldn't eat seafood. These were swiftly followed by a plate of flavoursome falafel, accompanied by a lightly cumin-tinted yoghurt that drew you in without overwhelming your senses atop a flatbread that was perhaps a little too hard – though this did make it a sturdy platform for the rest of the plate to rest upon. Just as we were getting through the last few bites of falafel, the leg of lamb, equipped with a lush, rich gravy and an aptly named king cabbage entered the fray. The bitesize portions of lamb, coupled with the gravy and cabbage plus the soon to arrive beef-dripped chips (make sure you order them, whatever else you're having – chips done right!), went down a treat and, whilst there was plenty to get through, I could quite happily have stomached another portion.

Now, I may have been playing pretty fast and loose with compliments so far BUT the rest of the meal was blown out of the water by the expertly cooked chicken, equipped with attitude sauce that acted as the ultimate centrepiece of the meal. I believe it was cooked over 36 hours (though I may have misheard due to not being able to resist tucking in) and the level of care and attention given to the plate of food was evident with each and every bite. Finally, being the gluttons that we are, there were two portions of Snickers doughnuts brought over to the table – in future I would recommend getting a single portion between two but I don't think either of us seriously regretted our indulgence. I'm not a big fan of peanuts but there was something so inviting about the dessert's make-up that it is a must have for anyone without a peanut allergy.

With a general ambience that had us saying 'I love this song' every few minutes, a layout that was just as pleasant to look at as my companion's eyes and a menu filled with treats that are making my mouth water at the mere thought of its contents, I would whole-heartedly recommend getting down to Pedler because it was one of the most enjoyable meals I've had in quite some time. Plus, if you can make sure you don't get too carried away with the gin, you'll not need to spend a fortune to have a memorable experience.

For more information on Pedler, click here.