Duck and Waffle. What a marvellous name. Although I have lived in England for over two years now, I had yet to make the pilgrimage to this hotly talked about restaurant, and when I did, it was pretty great. With panoramic views rivalling any in London, Duck and Waffle is a nice mix between fancy and fun. I enjoy venues with open kitchens, and savour watching the action.
The cocktails are fabulous – a Meadow Spritz is pictured above. Love the orange rose. Utilising interesting ingredients such as a formica rufa infusion (a type of woodland ant) and grass infusions, the cocktails are multi-layered in taste and are certainly crafted towards the more discerning and refined palate. Look how pretty they are too – Woodland Negroni and Hay!
The menu is designed to be shared, always a welcome thing in my book as I like to eat my way through as much of the menu as possible.
You must order some of the bread. The nduja and gruyere is a hot little parcel of bliss. The nduja sausage packs quite a punch. Yes!
I particularly enjoy the Marmite egg yolk on the Beef Tartare. Marmite has such a gorgeous umami flavour and adds earthiness. For those that don’t know what umami is, it’s the fifth flavour of the palate and translates to “a pleasant savoury taste”.
Fennel is another unsung hero ingredient in my book. The freshness and liquorice zing of the fennel offsets the flavour of the octopus well. The textural combination is also a big success.
The lamb breast was the only slightly disappointing dish. I was expecting pink hunks of juicy lamb, however it was more akin to shreds of bark.
The Duck and Waffle. Oh my, the duck and waffle. Crispy duck leg with a duck’s egg on a pillowy soft waffle with a mustard maple syrup. Drool. This had such an amazing combination of tetxuers and sweet vs savoury goin on, and the fact that this joint is open 24 hours makes me happy in the knowledge that one day at 3am I will be devouring that.
Desserts were also bloody terrific. I’m somewhat enamoured of baked alsaksa. Its retro chic is something I can’t resist, and this one was exceptional. Tart lemon curd greets your palate mixed in with spikes of caramelised meringue.
Chocolate fondant is always a winner with people and this rich display of decadence disappeared fairly quickly when it came into contact with humans.
Expensive but not crazy expensive, Duck and Waffle certainly delivers and is not a destination that will leave you feeling ripped off, something I will never get used to, although in London I am left feeling this way quite often. Kudos to Dan Doherty for a top notch place.
