Some days brunch will be a warm brioche and coffee in bed, other days pancakes on a rainy sunday morning making a mess in the kitchen. On rare days, when the sun is shining, the peak of summer and you have pretty dresses still unworn, brunch should be in the up in the air with a bloody amazing view. On those rare days brunch should be at Duck and Waffle.
One thing you MUST do is plan ahead, book a reservation, well in advance because trying to get one on the fly will not work. Book a table. Its better to place a call to them than to book online, I find. When you’ve heard so much about a place you take the hype with a pinch of salt because as the saying goes, its too good to be true. My sister and I booked brunch at Duck & Waffle about a month in advance, the earliest they could do brunch, and aptly looked forward to it. When you arrive there’s someone on the ground floor to greet you and grant you access through red velvet ropes, no word of a lie mate, but he’s really friendly about it. We board the lift to the 40th floor, look out on the way up and be astounded by London in all its glory, its a truly gorgeous city. Sometimes one can take for granted the beauty of its doorstep, this is one of those moments when London truly shows itself.
If your table is not ready you are invited to wait in the lobby bar, a shabby chic space with graffiti wall, wrapped around in the most stunning views of the city. We were seated within ten minutes of arriving, even though we arrived much earlier, at a table by the window. The restaurant is just right, not too big not to small, just the right size for it to feel personal, and the wait staff are pleasant and attentive without badgering you, they have that knack for knowing just when to come by your table, inquire if you need anything else, or to check on the meal.
Now, for the food. We went the whole hog; starters, main and dessert; The bread is warm, nice and crusty on the outside and warm and heavenly on the inside, nothing beats the joy of warm fresh bread. They serve it on a board with butter and olive oil. For main I had traditional english breakfast with well done scrambled eggs and my sister had the duck and waffle with sunny-side up. These weren’t minuscule size portions, they ere filling and delicious. I ate every single piece on my plate including the tomatoes. I tried some of my sister’s duck and waffle, and next time we got there, there will be a next time, I will be having that.
Dessert was heavenly…I had a caramelised banana split with nuts, ice cream, waffles and chocolate sauce…it tastes even better. My sister had chocolate and peanut butter ice cream with brownies. every time I recall this I cannot contain myself. The ambience of the restaurant is fun, everyone is having a good time, everyone is excited to be there, the table next to us had a mother breastfeeding her baby, the table on the other side had two friends who were just as excited to be there as we were, another table had a family, mother, father grandparents etc. Its hard to find a place that serves wonderful food with equally charming service, Duck & Waffle is a place where you get both in spades. An absolute must dine in.