After going to the Duck and Waffle for breakfast earlier this year, I knew that I wanted to come back again for dinner. After a two month wait (yes, you really do need to book this early), I took my boyfriend to the Duck and Waffle for dinner on his birthday.
The entrance is on 110 Bishopsgate and it’s the same entrance to Sushi Samba where you’re greeted by a man with a clipboard; “Do you have a reservation” he asks. I assume that they don’t allow many walk-in diners, due to the popularity of the restaurant but thise seems strange as it’s a 24 hour restaurant. I can’t imagine that many people will book a meal for 2am in the morning – surely this is more of a spur of the moment idea? Who knows!
A quick security check and you’re whizzing up to the 40th floor in the lift with incredible views. A word of caution – if you’re not a fan of heights, you’ll probably want to stay nearer the lift door rather than the window side as the lift is completely see through and attached to the outside of the building. The actual entrance to the restaurant is quite confusing; the lift comes out in a corridor and you have to follow it round before you arrive at the bar area which takes you into the Duck and Waffle restaurant and stairs which lead down into Sushi Samba on the floor below.
Duck and Waffle – What We Ate:
After taking our seats at our table by the window we ordered a carafe of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc (£28) – quite overpriced for an average wine – and had a look at the menu. I’d heard a lot about the bread at Duck and Waffle so we were really keen to have this to start and pondered the six different types of breads available which are freshly made to order. You have to wait about ten minutes for these but its 100% worth the wait. As big cheese lovers, we ordered the ‘Nduja and Gruyere bread (£6) which was delicious, slightly fiery and piping hot. We also ordered a bottle of Sparkling Water (£4.50) but switched to tap water later on.
For mains, we chose to order the Whole Roasted Chicken (£40) which serves between two and three people and oh my it was OH SO GOOD. You have to wait for 40 minutes for this dish to be prepared but we weren’t in any rush and were enjoying our wine, bread and the view while we waited. When the chicken is ready, they bring it out to you to show you the whole roasted chicken (very theatrical) before whisking it back to the kitchen to chop it into smaller, more manageable pieces before bringing it back to you. I did wonder how on earth we were supposed to attack it with out knives and forks when they first brought the chicken out! My only disappointment was that the serving dish was cold, and with all the back and forth to the kitchen and back, it would have been good if the dish was hot to keep the chicken warm.
The actual flavours of the chicken were incredible, in the serving dish there were also potatoes, wild mushrooms, truffle and onions so there’s no need to order any additional sides or vegetables as it comes as a complete meal. The chicken is cooked sous -vide the waiter tells us, and is finished off in the oven to order leaving the chicken super soft and succulent and the combination of flavours leaves a delicious sauce. I only wish I had some bread left to soak it up with!
We got four servings each from the chicken dish and very nearly didn’t have room for dessert but we decided to order the Chocolate Fondant (£10) to share; served with a peanut butter ganache, vanilla ice cream and praline crunch. At this point, the waiters also brought out a mini chocolate fondant on a plate which read Happy Birthday in chocolate sauce, with a candle. A lovely touch for a birthday celebration, it’s all in the details.
The food was definately the star of the meal, but the service was very over the top – we were asked “are you having a nice time” by waiters seven times during our meal and this is in addition to waiters asking if our wine, bread and chicken was okay. There’s attentive and then there’s excessive. Eventually, we just wanted to be left in peace to enjoy our meal!
After being rushed out of the Duck and Waffle because they wanted the table back (you only have a limited time slot), we headed downstairs to Sushi Samba to enjoy drinks on the terrace.
Duck and Waffle – 4/5
My overall verdict? The food was delicious and the views are incredible but if anything, the over the top service let the visit down ever so slightly.
Food – 4/5
Service – 3/5
Decor/ Ambience – 5/5
Meal for two including wine and service, £100.
Have you visited the Duck and Waffle before? Feeling Inspired? Check out my London restaurant hit list!
110 Bishopsgate
London
EC2N 4AY
