Finally I managed to get round to having lunch at Duck and Waffle and I can confirm that this is an absolutely lovely venue. Its unique selling point is clearly the wonderful view and setting (open 24hrs) combined with obvious care going in to the design of the all day dining dishes and their presentation. I really liked the fact that it was spacious for the tables and there was a distinct air of calm in the service even though it seemed to be virtually rolling at max capacity throughout our time there. Front of house seemed a touch complacent as a relative minor, but we were looked after superbly throughout the meal.
Foodwise, I thought overall it was interesting and pleasing. It was good to sample the signature duck and waffle dish which had gorgeous crispy skin and succulent meat to the duck and all combined with fried egg and maple syrup was definitely good. I was really looking forward to the foie gras creme brulee, but tastewise I simply found it a bit bland on my palate, but skillfully done never the less. The other dishes were fine but I would go back in a heart beat for the pig’s ears alone as this snack was one of the nicest I had on record – genuinely divine! In short, it is a wonderful place to go for its obvious plus, and I would say it is good for any occasion.
Foodwise, I thought overall it was interesting and pleasing. It was good to sample the signature duck and waffle dish which had gorgeous crispy skin and succulent meat to the duck and all combined with fried egg and maple syrup was definitely good. I was really looking forward to the foie gras creme brulee, but tastewise I simply found it a bit bland on my palate, but skillfully done never the less. The other dishes were fine but I would go back in a heart beat for the pig’s ears alone as this snack was one of the nicest I had on record – genuinely divine! In short, it is a wonderful place to go for its obvious plus, and I would say it is good for any occasion.
The only poor aftertaste element here being a mini retribution episode on twitter inspired by the Executive Chef who I think caught the wrong end of my tweet comment. I’ve got no time for ping pong insults on social media and I was pretty astounded how a simple observation could cause such ‘all out’ reactions. So, for the record, I never ask to speak to chefs in an impolite manner ever or expect to be fawned over, and asked to have a very brief chat with the head chef on this occasion as I saw that he was in and the Soux chef seemed to have everything completely under control. Daniel did not appear to be under any duress and I was excited at the prospect of being able to shake his hand, telling him how much I enjoyed the pig’s ears (as it gave a moment similar to that of The Sportsman scratchings) so hoped that a quick 30 second chat at the side of the kitchen would have been alright.
I have had many chats with many chefs who have all been accommodating where possible. Evidently it has been made to look like I was expecting him to come to my table and dedicate his time just for me because I think I deserve it – nothing could be further from the truth(!) as I never do or expect that. I couldn’t care less who’s got more followers than who or whether I’m in a 3 Michelin starred venue or at a street stall, it’s a genuine pleasure to enjoy good food wherever it is and an additional treat to chat to the person behind the menu when possible, allowing extra detail in these reviews.
Never mind – in summary, I thought D & W was a lovely looking venue; the surprising and very distasteful part was its choice of PR tact resulting in the paying customer not wishing to return.
https://major-foodie.com/duck-and-waffle-city-of-london/
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