A Veggie Restaurant In A Car Park, It Doesn't Get Much More Peckham Than This

A ‘vegetarian and vegan canteen’ in a converted car park in Peckham; it’s hard to describe Wildflower without the inevitable hipster association. While there are definite hipster vibes — concrete floors, exposed pipework, wood furnishings, extensive greenery — there's more than that to this restaurant. If you like experimental food combinations, then you’ll like Wildflower - hipster, veggie or otherwise.

The dinner menu is made up of 12 plates, ranging from the light marinated olives to the more sizeable smoked tofu. Our waiter recommends we order two to three plates each and share.

Dishes are served in a haphazard fashion. We start off with the calçots (scallion) and romesco. The calçots are tasty, if not a bit simple; it's hard to get excited about two spring onions on a plate. However, the romesco elevates the plate. The peppery sauce is rich and flavoursome, with a good bite from the nuts. We would have happily eaten a bowl of the sauce.

Next up are the savoury donuts. Coated in a thin layer of sugar and served with whipped goat’s cheese, the donuts have the appearance of pudding, and the taste too. The goat’s cheese is light and creamy; combined with the sharp rhubarb purée and soft, sticky dough, you would be forgiven for thinking you had ordered dessert. But that’s not a criticism; we’re hard pushed to pick fault with the donuts, savoury or sweet.

Our next plate is the fried cauliflower, which sounds a lot simpler on paper than in reality. Served with a tart brambley apple purée, walnuts and pickled onion, the plate is a beautiful marriage of sweet and savoury, and is our favourite dish.

Our final dish is the smoked tofu. Topped with carrot kimchi, bok choi and sesame, the tofu ‘steak’ is an explosion of aromatic flavours. It is cooked to perfection, cutting like a rare steak. There is a decent kick of heat from the dish, which is pleasant and not overpowering.

The dessert menu is uncomplicated: salted caramel brownie. It is nice, but tastes like a chocolate brownie. Either way we finish it because we’re hungry.

Here lies our primary concern with Wildflower; whereas the flavours are near-flawless, the portions (and relative prices) are less agreeable. Four plates is not enough for two hungry diners, but six plates might leave some diners feeling short-changed.

Wildflower, 95a Rye Lane, SE15 4ST.