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Duck & Waffle ignites a quiet stir in conversation. Never visited? A patron twice, thrice over? Irrelevant. The chitchat shall always reveal: One, the restaurant is located high up in the clouds. Two, it is open 24 hours. And three, they serve duck and waffle.
Three out of three sounded intriguing. I thought I’d bite.
It was a Friday night and the City of London had just released all her workers into the wild. A handful of them had gathered at the foot of one of her skyscrapers, Heron Tower. A neon orange sign, bellowing SUSHISAMBA, hovered over the small queue of keen revellers. Next to Sushisamba’s bright sign was a plain, muted rectangle bearing the name of sister restaurant, Duck & Waffle.
The reservation is under “Erika,” I told the lady clothed in fur brandishing a clipboard. “Of course,” she purred. “Floor 40.” She let my husband and I slip past the rope where we turned to Gok Wan by the entrance. The TV presenter wasn’t moonlighting as a host, a thought I had entertained inwardly, but was posed waiting for his friend who had followed behind.
Sharing the same glass lift, we were launched to great heights at swift speed. The view was outstanding: a black backdrop to glittering buildings. The further we moved away from the ground, the more the city’s bright lights twinkled.
The lift eased its pace and stopped on the 38th floor. Sushisamba claimed Gok Wan, his friend and their party’s accompanying bouncer. An inviting orange glow emanated but the lift doors shut it out, bringing the remaining passengers to the eatery above where my date and I were ushered past an open-plan bar garnished with a blue mosaic floor. Bar stools hugged the sides, facing more wondrous views of the city. Once seated at our table, we relished being able to look down on the Gherkin. We withheld further amazement – he and I were famished and ready to share our wishes with the staff.
To start was the BBQ-spiced crispy pig ears, which arrived in a carefully sealed brown paper bag. Cutlery seemed likely to get tangled up in the thin, crispy curls so we settled for fingers and addressed the dish like a posh set of crisps. Crunchy exterior gave way to chewy filling. I would have preferred an exotic dip to complement, and maybe another rattle of the salt shaker on top. We moved onto the spicy ox cheek doughnut with apricot jam and I vowed to explore more meat doughnuts in the future. The rosemary and garlic bread was less exciting and too filling. We set it aside as a contingency plan.
Our mains arrived, a sirloin steak for my husband – tender, buttery and cooked to perfection, he described – and the restaurant’s namesake for me. I was warned of the accompanying mustard maple syrup. “Small doses,” our server suggested for first-timers. I took heed and sparingly poured the syrup over the crispy leg confit, fried duck egg and waffle. My sense of taste has a North American upbringing – I am so very fond of breakfast meals as a late evening option. I might as well have been having bacon and pancakes doused in maple syrup. In the end, the duck and waffle was too sweet, even for the likes of me but I soldiered on.
Meanwhile, the rosemary and garlic bread remained cast aside.
Bellies filled to the brim, we carried on nursing our wine whilst admiring the scenery. But, as they say, there’s always room for dessert. A warm chocolate brownie with peanut butter ice cream and crunchy caramel materialised. There was a special occasion; the plate bore cursive writing in chocolate sauce, reflecting my husband’s birthday. We devoured the dish and were tempted to lick the birthday salutations off the plate.
We departed just after midnight and Duck & Waffle was still buzzing. As satiated as we were I couldn’t help but feel there was something missing. Descending in the glass lift, we picked up a few more diners on the 38th floor. There, the warmth of Sushisamba beckoned but we plunged to ground level instead.
Samba Brands Management is responsible for Sushisamba and its sister restaurants. I learned later that when establishing space for London’s Sushisamba’s branch they had found the venue too spacious. Thus, Duck & Waffle as if it were an afterthought. It rung true. Like the entrance signs, it doesn’t shine as brightly as its counterpart Sushisamba but, if you’re game, the gimmicks are worth falling for: Its views are enticing; I don’t know many other 24-hour establishments unless we’re venturing around Soho; And, love it, hate it or indifferent to it, the duck and waffle meal at £15 inspires a bit of chat amongst friends.
by Erika Soliven
Duck & Waffle
Heron Tower, 110 Bishopgate, London EC2N 4AY
+44 203 640 7310