Duck & Waffle: More than just a view

London’s highest-up restaurant isn’t short of highlights
A view to a thrill: Duck & Waffle is open from sunrise to sunset, and beyond
Ben Norum31 January 2018

Our guide to the London restaurants with big reputations. This time we visit Duck & Waffle, the highest of all London’s tower eateries.

The backstory Duck & Waffle opened in 2012, well before the restaurants in The Shard or Walkie Talkie. Set on the 40th floor, it’s still the highest despite the increased high-altitude competition — it’s also the only one of the set that serves 24 hours a day.

It is led by group executive chef Dan Doherty along with executive chef Tom Cenci, while the bar is run by Richard Woods. Between them they excel in pairing unconventional flavours and serving ingredients in unorthodox ways.

Unlike some restaurants which make their money from their view, it’s certainly not dining by numbers.

What’s on the menu? The bulk of the menu is split between tapas-style small plates and larger dishes for sharing. There is also a selection of snacks, which includes a couple of highly-recommended signatures: dates stuffed with sausage meat and wrapped in bacon (as festive tasting as they sound), and crispy pigs’ ears served in long strips in a paper bag — a cross between scratchings and fries.

Stand-out: Ox cheek doughnut

Another iconic dish is the spicy ox cheek doughnut — possibly one of the restaurant’s very best. It features slow-cooked, melting tender shreds of meat paired with apricot jam at the epicentre of a fluffy, sweet dough and is coated in a smoky paprika sugar.

Then, from the selection of larger dishes, there is the pièce de résistance: the Duck & Waffle. It consists of just that — a crispy confit duck leg atop a chunky waffle, topped with a fried duck egg and drizzled with mustard maple syrup.

Other dishes include a whole roasted chicken with truffles and a foie gras creme brûlée with a pork crackling brioche.

Name of the game: The famed Duck & Waffle

Among dessert highlights is the torrejas, which serves two. Based on a Cuban recipe, it is effectively a ‘tart’ of eggy bread with caramelised apples and cinnamon ice cream.

Cocktails are just as playful as many of the dishes, with a regularly-changing list making use of unusual ingredients. Richard Woods’ current menu is called Urban Foraging vs. Urban Decay, and utilises ingredients that have either been foraged or would otherwise have been thrown away. Read more about that here.

The atmosphere This is casual dining in the sky, so don’t expect too much glitz and glamour, or overly formal service. That said, the stunning views do add a sense of occasion and ensure the whole experience is something special.

Who goes there? It really is a complete mix. There are City types who work nearby and dine out on their expense accounts, plenty of tourists, and lots of Londoners out for date night. If you head there in the middle of the night, it gets even more eclectic.

Cheque out Small plates range from £8 - £14. The Duck & Waffle costs £17, while the whole roast chicken for 2-3 costs £35. Most cocktails are £14.

Best restaurants with a view in London

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