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Something rich and strange is brewing in Peckham. Nope, it's not homemade kombucha (although lord knows it's awash with the stuff) – it's a vegan takeover. Local restaurants Omni, Zionly Manna, En Root and Deserted Cactus are all putting fresh spins on plant-based food, turning Peckham Rye into a bountiful garden of Eden for South London based meat-fearers. The most sophisticated (and hardest to find) addition to this green wave is Naïfs, a family-run small plates spot tucked away on a quiet residential street.
Its chef Tom Heale used to be a sous chef at much-missed, much-garlanded Kennington veggie restaurant Vanilla Black. Now, he runs Naïfs with his brother Finn alongside him in the kitchen, with another brother Max overseeing drinks, and his partner Anne heading up front of house. This tight-knit quartet preside over a restaurant that has all the welcoming atmosphere of a family meal without any of the dish-clattering chaos: it's a date night kinda place, its simple white room enlivened by dabs of rich colour.
Naïfs offers a £27 set menu that changes monthly. On my visit, it was a Mediterranean-inspired collection of small plates that came with a bountiful supply of moist sourdough from organic Bermondsey bakery Flor. The undoubted highlight was the red pepper kebab, delivering mouthwateringly juicy, almost bouncy texture and buckets of smoky flavour. The heavily vinegared carrot salad and very beetrooty beetroot dip it came with were less exciting. But they made sense alongside the big-flavoured aubergine agrodolce, zinging with sweet-sour notes, and the satisfyingly crunchy lentil fritters.
You can opt to supplement your set menu with additional appetisers and puddings, and it's very worth doing so – both because this is light food, that won't leave you full to bursting, and because the add-ons are some of the loveliest things on the menu. The smoked lentil pate was so much enticing than its name might suggest, delivering a rich, earthy flavour that blended perfectly with the accompanying fig jam and pickles. And the puddings were memorable, too: especially the chocolate mousse, which came in an elegant piped squiggle of rich dark lusciousness.
Naïfs is a deliberately small-scale proposition – it's only open Thursday to Saturday evenings – and dining there feels intimate, somehow, like being invited into one family's cherished vision of what restaurants would look like in a more eco-conscious future. But its food is delicious as well as heartfelt, and there's enough biodynamic wine on offer to keep the atmosphere light and buzzing. Go along for a memorable, cosy intro to Peckham's ever-growing crunchy side.
The vibe Gently luxurious vegan small plates in a hidden-away neighbourhood restaurant.
The food Loosely Middle Eastern-inspired plant-based dishes inspired by seasonal produce.
The drink Biodynamic wines and sophisticated cocktails (the fig leaf daiquiri has a compelling banana-like bouquet).
Time Out tip There's just one set menu on offer, so get in touch in advance if you've got dietaries.