What can you tell me about Duck and Waffle
It's the top floor restaurant at the Heron Tower, bravely heralding a new age in London dining in being a truly 24/7 restaurant with a licence to boot (well, right now it's almost 24/7 - 4am dining is just around the corner we hear). The head chef is Daniel Doherty formerly of the Old Brewery at the Royal Naval College in Greenwich, The Empress in Victoria Park, and The Ambassador in Exmouth Market.
Where should we meet?
There are not one but two bars in the tower - one on the 40th floor itself, an deconstructed bar similar to ones we've seen in New York where barmen work round an island bar unit - and one downstairs by the other Heron Tower restaurant Sushisamba. Elsewhere, bars we'd recommend round Liverpool Street are the Mayor of Scaredy Cat Town (through the fridge at the Breakfast Club on Artillery Lane) or the bar at Hawksmoor on Commercial Street. And there'll soon be two new bars at the Bengal Warehouse development on New Street (opens on 17 September).
Where should I sit?
While the restaurant's been arranged so all tables have good views out of the floor to ceiling glass windows over London (the Heron quite literally towers over the nearby Gherkin), the tables you really want are by the windows (obvs). In particular, there are two curved banquette tables looking out over East London towards the Olympic stadium and across the river and Tower Bridge which are clearly the best in the room.
What should I order?
We were there to test drive the much-anticipated Duck and Waffle breakfast, which runs from 6am to 11am Monday to Friday and from 9-11 on weekends. So it was pretty much a no-brainer for one of us to order the Foie Gras All Day Breakfast. This consists of a thick slab of brioche toast, with a layer of hazelnut spread, a thicker slab of lightly seared foie gras, two crisp pancetta strips and two tiny balls of deep-fried black pudding. It's a fun play on the full English.
We probably should have tried the signature duck 'n' waffle - a waffle topped with a confit duck leg and fried duck egg with mustard maple syrup (£13), but had foolishly come with a 9-year-old who insisted instead on elements of the English breakfast. The full English for £10.50 comes complete with a pork, marjoram and thyme sausage, two eggs, streaky bacon, grilled tomato, field mushroom, hash browns, black pudding, trotter-braised beans and sourdough toast - which seems pretty decent value. What we had was well executed and we particularly liked the beans - the trotters are home smoked, braised, flaked and the stock is used to cook the beans before the meat is added back.
Coffee was strong and fabulous and the orange juice was described by our 9-year-old reviewer as the best she'd ever had. And the staff were friendly and solicitous, perfectly judging how in your face to be first thing in the morning.
We've also been to Duck and Waffle on a previous occasion for dinner - see our facebook gallery. Things to recommend on that occasion included the crispy pig ears, which we could happily have snacked on all night and the outstanding bacon wrapped dates.
Overall thoughts?
Even before a dish is served, Duck and Waffle has two clear factors running in its favour - that view (and it's a face pressed up against the glass boggling in wonder-type view) and the truly all-day dining. Londoners have already taken it to their hearts, as it's rammed at night for at least the next month. It's a no-brainer that it'll be an extraordinarily popular business breakfast spot for City folk and at weekends it's a brilliant date venue that'll wow without breaking the bank - you can have pastries for just £4.50 or those smoked trotter-braised beans on toast with bacon jam for £6.50. We've already booked to return in a few week's time when the grandparents hit town and when word gets out, this place will probably be up there with the Wolseley as one of the hardest breakfast tables to book in town.
Duck and Waffle, Heron Tower, 110 Bishopsgate, London EC2N 4AY
Find out more about Duck and Waffle
Hot Dinners were invited to eat at Duck and Waffle. Prices were correct at time of writing.
