63 Choumert Road
Peckham SE15 4AR
A few years ago, the thought of going to a cafe in Peckham
would never have crossed my mind. In fact, going anywhere in Peckham would have
been unthought of. The words that sprangto mind were "guns, thugs
and da hood".
Peckham, it seems, has undergone a Renaissance of sorts, a
similar transformation to that which occurred in similarly down-at-heel
neighbourhoods such as Shoreditch.
“London Suburbia” is often a conundrum in
any case… good areas with bad parts, bad areas with good parts, bad parts
becoming good parts (rarely vice versa). Whatever its past, the future of this
little part of Peckham is rosy, and can best be described as “gentrified”.
Petitou is tucked just off the main road (Bellenden Road),
in a quiet leafy side street lined with terraced houses.
A former butcher's shop, it is utterly charming, both inside
and out. We were fortunate to visit on a gorgeous summer's day, and found a
vacant table on the terrace outside, shaded by a grand plane tree.
While the cake selection was limited to two (coffee walnut
and chocolate banoffee), there are also pastries on offer.
Not being a coffee
lover, I selected the chocolate banoffee and was extremely impressed. It was
rich and moist, a decadent mingling of flavours and texture. I couldn't have
asked for a better slice of cake to be honest.
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Ben enjoyed his coffee, made doubly pleasurable by the
outdoor setting.
After our visit, we walked along Bellenden Road and picked
out a few more potential cafes for a future visit, as well as some delightful
gift shops with offerings guaranteed to lighten one's wallet.
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I honestly would never have expected to come across something so lovely in a suburb with such a mixed reputation.
I'm glad to
replace some of my previous (negatively) biased perceptions of Peckham with
something more positive, as there's a lot to enjoy in this neck of the woods
thanks to cafes like Petitou.
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