Shiima and I had our first “date” at Duck and Waffle close to five years ago. Date being in quotes because I’d booked dinner at Duck & Waffle, but she thought it was a tad too highfalutin to be the first place we hung out… she wanted somewhere more casual, so we went for an impromptu date at Jamie’s Italian a couple nights before… and the rest is wonderful history. Ha! 🙂
Duck & Waffle is a restaurant on the 40th floor of the Heron Tower right on top of Sushi Samba, and, like Sushi Samba, Duck & Waffle offers impressive views of London. As opposed to Sushi Samba, Duck & Waffle is open 24/7 and serves British Cuisine with a heavy European influence.
The décor is beautiful and modern, with tables and cosy booths around the room and an open kitchen. There is a really cool bustling bar just before you step into the restaurant and they have private dining room as well. We booked dinner for last Thursday at 9PM, and both the bar and the restaurant were full to capacity.
As you can imagine, being open 24 hours they have different menus for breakfast, brunch, all day, and late night. We had the all day menu.
What we ordered
I ordered Pork and Apple Corn Dog from snacks. We ordered Lamb Keema and Maple Glazed Cornbread freshly baked breads. Goat Kofte, Nduja Seared Octopus, and Spicy Ox Cheek Doughnut for starters. Duck & Waffle and Miso Glazed Rabbit for mains.
Review of the food
Snacks
I’ve never had a corn dog, but this was good. It wasn’t delicious, but it was close. I don’t remember tasting much apple though, but then this is neither here nor there cos I don’t care much for apples.
Breads
The Lamb Keema was incredible. Absolutely delicious and tasted like a spicy panini. It was incredibly moreish with equally tasty bread and lamb filling. It was served with Hara Bhara sauce, which was deep with flavour and went well with the lamb keema.
We didn’t like the maple glazed cornbread at all. And I was so excited because I loved the bacon cornbread from Chiltern Firehouse last weekend. We both had a piece and abandoned it. Weird textures, weird taste.
Starters
The Goat Kotfe was really nice. Shiima really enjoyed it, which is incredible because she usually doesn’t go near meat other than chicken. To be fair, her palate is rapidly expanding, but I still thought goat would be a stretch. On the other hand, kofte is home cuisine for her – she is Middle Eastern. The Goat kofte was beautifully plated as well.
I loved the Nduja Seared Octopus, although there wasn’t much octopus and much more whipped lentils (humus), which itself was delicious, especially because it was rich with spice.
The Spicy Ox Cheek Doughnut was not good. Nah! And our waiter did warn us that you’d either love it or hate it. I hated it.
Mains
The Miso Glazed Rabbit was all right. A tad too much miso glaze, but the rabbit was very well cooked. Honestly, it tasted just like a chicken leg… even the texture was similar. The crispy kale was awesome though.
The Duck and Waffle
So err, I do not like waffles and Shiima doesn’t like duck, but you can’t go to Duck & Waffle and not order the Duck & Waffle, right? Well, I enjoyed the duck and Shiima enjoyed the waffles, so if you like crispy duck legs and sweet warm waffles, you’ll probably enjoy it.
Dessert!
Absolutely! The one thing you can always rely on British cuisine for is a wonderful dessert. Shiima ordered Chocolate Fondant and I ordered Warm Banoffee “Pie”. Shiima’s complaint about the chocolate fondant was that the chocolate centre wasn’t melted or even gooey. Other than that, and the peanut butter ganache it was served with that she gave it me, she enjoyed it.
My Warm Banoffee “Pie” wasn’t a pie, but a chocolate dome. Warm salted caramel sauce was poured over the dome to break it and reveal the ice cream and banana filling. It was a very delicious dessert, although it probably should be named different.
Verdict
We enjoyed our Duck and Waffle experience. The food was hit or miss, but the service was really good and the environment is special, especially when you consider the beautiful views of London. I recommend for romantic dates, special occasions, and blowout dinner with friends or family. It’s also very ideal for large groups, because not only do they have a private room they have tables in the restaurant that sit over 16 people. Also, I recommend for a good meal after a night out, because the restaurant is open 24/7. Oh, and the bar looks really cool.
Cuisine: British; Modern European
Dress Code: Smart
Shiima’s Star Dish: Lamb Keema with Hara Bhara sauce
Amen’s Star Dish: Nduja Seared Octopus
Price: £50+ each
Rating: 4 out of 5
Duck & Waffle
110 Bishopsgate, London EC2N 4AY
Book Online or call +44 203 640 7310
2 Comments Add yours