Greenhithe, French Restaurant Guide

2021 Review: This September 2019 yearling in the heart of the town (occupying a former NatWest bank, hence the name) is notable for its owner: Stuart Gillies is the former CEO of Gordon Ramsay's restaurant group, and has launched this venture with the help of wife Cecilia. Previously a chef, Gillies has devised a ‘European small plates’ menu for the two-floor wine bar.

This “local French venue in Wanstead” has been a reliable bastion of classic Gallic bistro cooking for 14 years. Its founder, veteran restaurateur Max Renzland, stepped down during the pandemic, since when the odd regular complains that the “the menu has been dumbed down”, but its food ratings remain generally sound.

This “great sharing-plates restaurant with very accommodating staff” – and a “good wine selection”, its primary focus – has been a linchpin in the emergence of Peckham’s going-out scene (“I’ve never had a bad meal here: in principle I’m not a fan of small plates but here it all works”).