Bando Belly, Peckham by Paloma Lacy

A fun new dining concept opened in Peckham Levels on Friday.

Bando Belly brings London soul food fusion to the masses, inspired by America, the Caribbean, South-East Asia and primarily, and most importantly, multicultural London and its rich and diverse food heritage.

Born out of the Covid-19 pandemic, founders Naz Ramadan and Alex Situnayake aim to introduce the capital to the kind of food they like to eat.

So what’s on the menu? Soft shell crab burger, barra tacos – which many will know as that Trinidadian staple, doubles – slow-roasted lamb ribs, Asian inspired steak and surf and turf.

Then there’s a dessert that Naz herself describes as “proper naughty”.

She is of course talking about fried Oreos, with a secret milk sauce, which tasted very much like white chocolate to me. As puddings go, it almost sounds too naughty to be nice, but is surprisingly light and delivers hugely on the taste front. It’s not like any other dessert – something completely new for London to try.

For now, the offering is available for collection and delivery.

We caught up with the founders to ask them what soul food actually means to them. Collectively they answered: “Food that gives you a warm, fuzzy feeling that reminds you of family.”

Naz went on to explain that people are looking for a reminder of home, when it comes to comforting dishes, as well as a nod to their travels.

Bando Belly has embraced the capital’s multiculturalism to create London’s very own soul food with a unique twist.

Both the founders have roots in South London and shared a passion for inventing their own dishes inspired by their favourite flavours from across the city and other countries, like bahn mi cheese steak – a hybrid of two classics – one from Vietnam and the other, the US.

The founders of Bando Belly believe that London is the world’s biggest melting pot and living in the capital means that fusion is everywhere – from the food, to the music, to the people.

Bando Belly is about taking that exact energy and putting it on a plate, with a menu that highlights a diverse selection of flavours from all around the globe to reimagine London’s soul food.

And why Bando Belly? Band is slang for a building used to hustle from in American and British rap culture.

It derives from the idea of using any space available and transforming it into a thriving operation – in this instance, using the bando or the kitchen, to create a successful food venture.

The founders talk of ‘the Hungry Hustle’, encapsulating the hustle-hard ethos which comes from striving to survive in a bustling city like London, where it is often easier to fail than succeed.

Bando Belly co-founder and head chef, Naz, said: “London is the world’s biggest melting pot and living in the capital means that fusion is everywhere – from the food, to the music, to the people.” And she believes that nowhere better illustrates this than Peckham.

Bando Belly, Unit 606 Peckham Levels, London SE15 4ST