Sylva

A partnership with a fruit and veg wholesaler is the dream of many a chef, and Shuli Wimer is no different. Collaborating with Smith & Brock, Sylva’s menu is a hymn to the overlooked and the imperfect: crates of so-called ‘second-class’ produce reborn as vibrant Mediterranean and Middle Eastern-inspired dishes.

Take, for example, the specials board. One day, it might yield swirling ‘morning buns’ topped with raisins and ricotta made from spent steamed milk, the next, leek fritters with tzatziki. Today it’s a steaming pastry parcel stuffed with Munster cheese, peppers, and spinach, with a scattering of radishes and pickled cucumber to brighten it up. It’s a simple thing, and all the better for it.

Meanwhile, chicken schnitzel arrives golden, crisp-edged and slathered with earthy tahini and a zingy zhug tucked into fresh homemade frena bread. It’s joined by roasted aubergine, its silky flesh crowned with slow-cooked chickpeas and drizzled with grassy olive oil. If there’s a quibble here, it’s that both could use a hit of acid, but even so, they prove that ‘nourishing’ and ‘indulgent’ need not be mutually exclusive terms.

With desserts, Sylva does leave room for unapologetic hedonism. Chief among them is a gigantic pecan tart laden with golden syrup and butter - a testament to Wimer’s River Cafe pedigree. We pair it with a lovely 100% Medjool date roll, made from a recipe borrowed from her grandmother.

Bright, small, and white, Sylva could easily veer into clinical territory. Instead, it balances between modern minimalism and homey comfort. Terrazzo flooring nods to Wimer’s Israeli roots, while upcycled furniture and houseplants create cosy areas for solo diners and larger groups alike. It’s a neighbourhood spot through and through. It’s so local in fact, that all suppliers sit within a roughly two-kilometre radius – a detail that feels less like virtue-signalling and more like an extension of Sylva’s deep rooted sincerity.

You’ll find no hype-stoking sustainability buzzwords here. What makes Sylva special isn’t just its low-waste philosophy or a knack for transforming ‘ugly’ veg (though both are admirable). It’s the way it feels utterly unpretentious yet quietly revolutionary – a neighbourhood cafe that feels both new, and like it’s been around for ages. Long may it continue.

Taking up place as your next local neighbourhood spot, Sylva is a Mediterranean and Middle Eastern inspired restaurant, tucked away in the heart of Deptford.

The small team behind Sylva begins with Shuli, who began her chef career in Tel Aviv restaurants before moving to the River Cafe in London for five years. The further two members of the trio are Joe and Nick, brothers who have worked in the industry from a young age who are driven by a simple purpose - to have “the best people supplying the best product with the best service at the right price to customers who value these attributes in a supplier”.

This cool and casual restaurant is all about bringing the local community together, in a space where they can enjoy dishes inspired by Mediterranean and Middle Eastern home cooking. The team shares a passion and love for nature, and uses second-class produce from their partners at Smith & Brock, along with proudly upcycling most of their interiors.

Breakfast is simple and delicious. Begin your day with fresh bread, butter and a jam of the day, a morning bun with cinnamon, tahini and raisins, or a goat cheese sandwich with chutney, basil and rocket. Other breakfast dishes include parmesan scrambled eggs on toast, Sylva's breakfast with herb chickpea farinata, garden salad, yoghurt and olives, and oat porridge with fruit preserve. If all you need to tide you over is a little sweet snack, try the date maamoul, chocolate chip cookies or lemon and polenta cake.

At lunch the menu takes a turn, and includes heartier bowls like the roasted aubergine and slow cooked chickpeas with spinach, coriander, parsley and preserved lemon, and rump steak with mids potatoes, sage, rosemary and rocket. The schnitzel can be either chicken breast or cauliflower and comes in a sandwich or on a plate. For dessert, the bakes and cakes are the same as those that feature in the morning.