A lot has been made of the opening of Duck & Waffle a few months ago. London's first 24-hour restaurant; one of London's very few high rise restaurants/venues; serving London's drinkers with a good range of shared plates including the odd combination of duck and waffles. In many ways it has been likened to the spirit of New York City - high up, late night, poultry and waffles.
The reviews have been mixed - the view is universally applauded, the difficulty of reservations frustrating, the service average and the food variable. Hmm. Nonetheless being located close to my area, open after finishing work late and being hyped up for the above, the 3rd attempt to eat here proved successful - only after booking for 10:30pm on a Monday night a month in advance.
Due to timing, luck and winter coming, the seating area was only half full and the wait staff good enough to honour a request to move tables from the middle of the room to what is probably the best corner with a spectacular view of the gherkin and tower bridge. Not many people have seen London from high up at night (the only other way I know being London Eye) but as a city with landmarks it is definitely worth seeing.
There is no cocktail menu (which I found surprising given the bar is a large part of why people go - no reservations required or taken) and at £10.50 each not the cheapest, but adequate to supplement the view and dinner.
Now on the food. Overall great. Unexpectedly great.
- Raw Scallop (with Apple, Black Truffle, Lime) - nice and simple, although couldn't taste truffle;
- Raw Yellowfin Tuna (with Watermelon, Balsamic, Basil) - very creative combination of raw tuna, cube of sweet watermelon with tart vinegar and basil;
- Thinly Sliced Pig's Head (with Olive Oil, Amalfi Lemon) - odd slices of a little bit of meat and a lot of cartilage. Strange;
- Herdwick Mutton Slider (with Harissa, Lime Creme Fraiche) - average mini-burger, nothing special;
- Seasonal Vegetable Salad (with Toasted Nuts & Seeds, Ricotta Salata) - the healthy option which used parmesan (not ricotta on this day), pine nuts, sunflower seeds, pepitas, sesame seeds and balsamic over greens and tomato. Very nice complement to the meal;
- Roasted Octopus (with Chorizo, Lemon, Caper) - deliciously succulent and flavoursome octopus tentacles. Chorizo was a nice additional flavour but not required;
- Foie Gras 'All Day Breakfast' - calories-on-a-plate combo of toasted brioche, covered with nutella, bacon, pan-seared delicious foie gras, fried black pudding balls and topped with a quail's egg. Simply unhealthily grand.
- Spicy Ox Cheek Doughnut (with Apricot Jam) - a fried ball encasing some not-so impressive ox cheek;
- Duck & Waffle (Crispy Leg Confit, Fried Duck Egg, Mustard Maple Syrup) - juicy soft duck meat housed in crispy skin, lying sandwhiched between a waffle and a runny yolk duck egg (one was a bit too overcooked). So good we ordered 2. And then a 3rd.
Desserts were also impressive. Given this is a 24-hour venue, I should not have been so surprised.
- Warm Chocolate Brownie (with Peanut Butter Ice-cream, Crunchy Caramel) - the heavy sweet dessert of all the elements you'd expect from the name;
- Cinnamon Pear Cappuccino (with Toast Gingerbread, Pear Caramel) - the dessert dark horse was a special combination of sorbet, pear, gingerbread and a delicious "cappuccino" of pear milk froth in the basin. Fantastic.
I came here for a lovely view, good company and hopeful expectations for food and ended up with a gem of an experience. Not all food hit high notes, but enough dishes to easily warrant coming back and having a more informed selection.
Next time I would order a Duck & Waffle for every 2-3 people, Foie Gras 'All Day Breakfast', Roasted Octopus and Cinnamon Pear Cappuccino. These were all undoubtedly going to be repeat offenders in my stomach. From the November menu, the Roast Beetroot Salad and Whole Roasted Sussex Chicken looks like a good way to supplement the rest. The Crispy Pig's Ears were sold out and something I've liked from other places before.
06-2013
It came as no surprise that at 7am on my birthday after a Ministry of Sound night, the logical decision was to go for food at the 24-hour D&W. Duck & Waffle as a dish is probably a little heavy for that time of the morning with an alcoholic stomach, as was the Smoked Salmon, Poached Eggs and Hash Brown. They still tasted good. I managed to try the Crispy Pig's Ears too which were an unusual snack of heavily smoked thin twigs of super crispness. I'm not sure whether I liked these or not, but they are a snack that complements drinks well.
09-2013
Another two visits for some views and cocktails. The bar staff are excellent at making fruity cocktails tailored to your preference. Became one of the *it* places for me to take guests to enjoy a new quintessential London experience.
