Nestled by Peckham Rye railway station sits Hausu. Having taken over the address after Coal Rooms shut its doors, the bar and restaurant brings you their own brand of flavours. And, spoiler alert, it’s a pretty expert take.
The front of the space sees spots for you to enjoy a drink or two, the open kitchen and bar-style seating are cosied in the middle, and to the back you’ll find candlelit tables welcoming you in for an intimate dining experience.
Hausu believes food and music can bring people together, and soundtracks your evening with its vintage hi-fi sound system.
Good tunes and even better sharing plates are what a south London night out is made for, and Hausu will be inviting DJs to take over the decks to bring you sweet sounds while you savour drinks and dishes.
As I settled into the booth side of a cosy table for two, a tipple was the first port of call. The Gibson Martini (£11) – made with Absolut Vodka, Dolin Blanc and pickle juice from Hausu’s house pickles – will make you a martini convert.
A steaming bowl of Dad’s Broth (£4.50) was placed on the table and the meal began. Cupped between my hands, the chicken broth burst with herby flavour as I slurped and as an introduction to the tastes of Hausu, I thought, this is the flavour they mentioned. It was delish.
Next was a scallop and prawn toast (£8). A crust of crunchy sesame seeds surrounded this inventive starter. Cut straight down the middle, the prawn pink cross-section of this dish was picture-perfect and good enough to eat. It was served with a spicy and sweet sauce, which was a welcome punch.
Lastly for starters was the smoked roe and crispy wontons for dipping (£7.50). If this was served as a never-ending run of more crispy wontons and more smoked roe, plate after plate, you’d leave happy. The snap of the wonton with the flavour of the whipped roe was a match made in heaven.
Before the main dish, another cocktail was ordered. The Plum and Rhubarb Sour (£12) – made with red plum syrup, Hendrick’s Gin, lemon juice, egg whites and rhubarb bitters – was sumptuous and well-balanced.
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Then came the sirloin steak (£47 for 450g), served rare and cooked to perfection. It comes with a beef sauce drizzled over the top and garnished with a condiment of confit lemon zest, salted red chillies, smoked oil, pickle liquor and crispy garlic.
When ordering, steaks can take up to 45 minutes, but this is a waiting game you will want to play. Do as our friendly server recommended and add an extra starter to keep you satiated until it arrives.
Made for sharing, steaks and fish are found on the Hausu specials board, which changes regularly depending on the produce available.
The motto is that their dishes will be the freshest possible, which could mean some menu substitutions throughout service. But in Hausu we trust.
On the side of the steak, we ordered green beans (£7), which were drenched in miso butter with a bite left in the bean that brought a welcome texture, plus bitter leaves (£6.50) that had a moreish dressing, and some Ratte potatoes (£5), with nuttiness and buttery-ness that felt truly decadent.
Along with the flicker of the candle, our evening melted away. Oh, just one more martini before heading home then.
11a Station Way, Peckham Rye Station, SE15 4RX
Images by Teo Della Torre
