It's been a very long time since my last visit (http://eatlikeushi.posthaven.com/duck-waffle-london-11-2012). Despite meaning to, I hadn't the opportunity or occasion to visit for the past 18 months. 1 visit to Sushisamba (which is plenty given the prices...) meant I was only a few metres away but this time and special occasion came to fruition. Since that time, the prices have gone up by 20-50%.
I had requested a window table for the view over a month beforehand. The restaurant told me on the phone that had received this. It was strange that the designated table was in the middle of the room, moreso because after enquiring we were given a table a few moments after. Who knows.
Once again there was the view of the gherkin. A little pivot meant a view of Tower Bridge. Despite the 31C day, the sunlight wasn't directly on us and so it could not have been more pleasant.
The cocktail theme of the month was vegetables. A pina-kale-ada was a twist on the classic with a vibrant green colour and a light kale flavour mixing with the coconut rum and pineapple. I was unexpectedly impressed.
- BBQ-spiced crispy pig ears £6 - I like these more now than I did back then. The mixed crisp and chewy texture and the strong BBQ/paprika are great as snacks;
- Smoked eel (creme fraiche, horseradish, samphire) £10 - small morsels that seemed a bit less interesting than the individual ingredients suggesting smoke, fish, salty and heat should;
- Spiced duck doughnut (charred pineapple jam, paprika sugar) £12 - ok so I thought this was a bit too strange. Others on the table liked it. Most of all I thought the doughnut dough was quite dry and firm lacking the soft spongey doughy-ness. The flavours mixed savoury and sweet but not in a way I liked;
- 'Nduja seared octopus (whipped yellow lentils, fennel, green sauce) £12 - an outstanding dish of sublime soft octopus in a potent and slightly spicy sauce;
- Duck & waffle (crispy leg confit, fried duck egg, mustard maple syrup) £18 - the namesake dish still remains excellent (although less flavoursome than the octopus). The crisp duck skin housing soft meat and coated with duck yolk and syrup on a piece of waffle. Anytime dishes don't get better.
The view is great, the service was decent and the food remains generally very good. It will stay high up in the order of occasional places for me.