If you’ve ever listened to anyone talk about how great south London/Peckham/East Dulwich is then you’ve probably heard them mention Bellendon Road. And Bellendon Road is undeniably a good road when it comes to having ‘stuff’ going on for people who like eating and drinking out. So, it is no surprise that one of the area’s most interesting pubs – The Montpellier – is just around the corner from this most eulogized of roads.
On the outside the pub is flanked by a small collection of picnic tables. Inside, you’ll find an expansive collection of mismatched furniture within a large space done up to resemble the hip status of the area. In fact, words like ‘vintage’, ‘lo-fi’ and ‘gastro’ could definitely be locked on to any sentence describing the pub. Food is all about locally sourced ingredients and seasonal produce so don’t come round expecting gammon and eggs. It’s more Cornish crab on toast, roast pepper risotto and steak burger. We can vouch for the Sunday roast in that both the lamb and the beef are excellent. However, judging by our last visit, we can also say that the portion sizes leave a lot to be desired.
On the taps the beers weren’t quite as exciting as we had hoped but there is a good selection all the same. Sambrooks and Meantime breweries are present along with rotating cask ales. The Montpellier attracts a hip clientele, which is just as well because otherwise who else would watch the art house films shown in the in-house Backroom Cinema? This bona fide movie room – complete with vintage cinema seats – is a main attraction and screens an eclectic array of films from new documentaries to cult classics. Beyond the cinema and the convivial weekend drinking vibe that the pub exudes there are also DJs every Saturday when it lets itself get rowdy.
