The cafe’s popular all-day breakfast menu is extensive, with options to suit all appetites – from porridge to large cooked breakfasts complete with homemade baked beans. The chalkboard lunch menu offers a soup of the day, three sizeable salads and four hearty mains – usually a spicy chickpea stew, an expertly flavoured curry, a more traditional pasta dish and savoury pancakes. There are also tempting daily specials. And if you fancy something sweet, you have the choice of an old-school dessert like banoffee pie or fruit crumble, or one of the delicious cakes. All of the dishes are beautifully presented – the salads are topped with dainty fresh flowers – and they taste as good as they look.

There are several vegan options on the menu, including half of the cakes, and the majority of dishes can be made vegan on request. To drink, there’s tea, coffee, fresh juices and smoothies. The cafe also offers half-size, half-price food and drink for children, so it’s a great choice for families. It’s also a perfect place for catch ups with friends or quiet time with a coffee and a book, but not for working – laptops aren’t allowed at weekends or between 12pm and 3pm on weekdays, which helps to keep the atmosphere convivial.

East Dulwich is now one of the most popular places to eat out in South London, and the friendly Blue Brick Café continues to hold its own. Just to remember to bring cash as cards aren’t accepted.

Galettes are Maloko’s raison d’être. Made from buckwheat – which is neither a grain nor related to wheat, but a distant relative of rhubarb – the galettes are gluten-free. There’s a range of vegetarian or vegan fillings to choose from, including sweet potato, spinach, asparagus, mushrooms, goats cheese, beetroot and jerk tofu. Served with a fresh side salad, the galettes are crispy on the outside and bursting with flavour on the inside. Size-wise, galette can be a substantial lunch or a more-than-adequate dinner.

Also on the menu are traditional crêpes with sweet fillings, and teas, coffees and reasonably priced fresh juices.

If you’re looking for somewhere south of the river that’s informal, friendly and a little bit different, Maloko’s the place.