The old and the new have always sat comfortably side by side in London. As an ancient walled City, peer down from the 200 metre panoramic heights of Heron Tower and you can still see the ancient City lines including the tower's boundary neighbour church St Botolph Without Bishopsgate, first mentioned in 1212 and said at that time to overlook 'the City ditch'. Wind the clock on almost 600 years to the day and Bishopsgate would be the first street in London to be gas lit while 120 years later still, it would also be the first to have automated traffic lights. Bishopsgate then is no stranger to progress.
Tall buildings meanwhile are understandably a fascination, man overcoming nature and all that, but London has a shortage of them with, for the most part, the public being denied access to those we do have. The 171 metre Post Office/BT Tower was closed to the public in 1980 due to an IRA bomb while 235 metre high One Canada Square's (aka Canary Wharf) viewing platform suffered a similar fate in 1992, so permanently closing this tower to the public also. The utterly brilliant Gherkin sadly is, and always has been, a general public no-go zone.
It is laudable therefore that Heron has opened the very top floors of this record breaking tower to the public with accessibility through two restaurants, Duck & Waffle and SushiSamba, and unsurprising then that London locals and tourists alike have embraced the giddy opportunity so enthusiastically. What is surprising however is that the food at Duck & Waffle is worth the visit even if you didn't have the view, but you do have the view so together, it's a winning and remarkable combination. With one more Ace up their sleeve, 24 hour opening, Duck & Waffle has already become a capital dining landmark which is, all in all, not bad for a restaurant open (at the time of writing) for less than a month.
The very combination itself, Duck & Waffle, has provoked much interest in London's food circles though diners of a State-side inclination will be more than familiar with chicken & waffle, which is suggested by some to date from Thomas Jefferson's importing of a waffle iron in 1790; no one seems to really know however though it's now a regular on US menus. Crispy duck provides a new take here and topped with a fried egg on waffle with mustard maple syrup, it is, as you'd hope from the headline act, an appropriately enticing dish that delightfully works with salty-sweet, crispy-soft, chewy-runny combinations. In this one dish alone they have achieved something worth coming back for.
Tall buildings meanwhile are understandably a fascination, man overcoming nature and all that, but London has a shortage of them with, for the most part, the public being denied access to those we do have. The 171 metre Post Office/BT Tower was closed to the public in 1980 due to an IRA bomb while 235 metre high One Canada Square's (aka Canary Wharf) viewing platform suffered a similar fate in 1992, so permanently closing this tower to the public also. The utterly brilliant Gherkin sadly is, and always has been, a general public no-go zone.
It is laudable therefore that Heron has opened the very top floors of this record breaking tower to the public with accessibility through two restaurants, Duck & Waffle and SushiSamba, and unsurprising then that London locals and tourists alike have embraced the giddy opportunity so enthusiastically. What is surprising however is that the food at Duck & Waffle is worth the visit even if you didn't have the view, but you do have the view so together, it's a winning and remarkable combination. With one more Ace up their sleeve, 24 hour opening, Duck & Waffle has already become a capital dining landmark which is, all in all, not bad for a restaurant open (at the time of writing) for less than a month.
The very combination itself, Duck & Waffle, has provoked much interest in London's food circles though diners of a State-side inclination will be more than familiar with chicken & waffle, which is suggested by some to date from Thomas Jefferson's importing of a waffle iron in 1790; no one seems to really know however though it's now a regular on US menus. Crispy duck provides a new take here and topped with a fried egg on waffle with mustard maple syrup, it is, as you'd hope from the headline act, an appropriately enticing dish that delightfully works with salty-sweet, crispy-soft, chewy-runny combinations. In this one dish alone they have achieved something worth coming back for.
The Gherkin, Tower Bridge, Tower of London
Open kitchen
Every table comes with a view
The menu is designed around the 'small plate' concept though throughout, these small plates are somewhat big plates and even the 'snacks & bread' come in fair quantities. Cod tongues, billed as 'chip shop' come in batter and are like prefect little fillets (though surprisingly large for tongues) and have that sea front feel with the polystyrene tray and wooden fork. BBQ spiced crispy pigs ears carried good bbq flavours, were very salty but could have been a touch crispier.
Cod tongues
Pigs ears
Dorset scallops, apple, black truffle and lime however delivered a first class dish, originally conceived and presented (on a Himalayan salt block) reclaiming for scallops interest from the too often the same ubiquity of modern menus. These were a joy.
Heritage tomatoes fared less well and were simply just too ordinary. The 'heritage' label promises an intensity of tomato focus that these never reached which, at £7, is poor value.
Heritage tomatoes fared less well and were simply just too ordinary. The 'heritage' label promises an intensity of tomato focus that these never reached which, at £7, is poor value.
Dorset scallop
heritage tomatoes
The foie gras 'all day breakfast' sounded intriguing and a dish that has lovers and haters in a possibly still too early to tell quantity. This could be another killer dish but for our money, the foie gras lacked kick and the chocolate-hazelnut spread overpowered other flavours. It does however appeal to the sweet tooth within even if for us it doesn't quite nail its remit.
foie gras all day breakfast
burrata
crab on toast
Duck & Waffle
Despite the small plates label, dishes here are, as noted, a healthy size and as two people sharing, we left happy and full. Some of this is down to the extensive flour based items, with the crab on toast, the all day breakfast and the duck and waffle having hearty breads and waffles on the plate ensuring you leave knowing that you have eaten. But this is undeniably a great addition to City eating, a district where the shared plates concept is still reasonably new but done here in a style that is attractive enough even against seasoned competition. Service bristles with the enthusiasm of a new venture aware that the eyes of the city are on them and while early adoption seems to be bloggers and City finance types, the appeal will inevitably widen.
One small gripe however on the drink front, the small bottle of Pale Ale ordered, while nice, came in at a shocking £6 per bottle before service for a half pint, so making this with service a £13.50 pint which seems to me utterly unreasonable. Am I just behind the times? Is £13 a pint the right price point for London restaurants to charge for beer? I may have to stop drinking. Still water is £5 a bottle.
Whinge over, we did enjoy Duck & Waffle as it stands while recognising it holds even more promise for the future. Open less than a month under substantial scrutiny, chef Daniel Doherty (@DanDoherty_) is delivering engaging dishes in a fun and vibrant setting. The occasional miss will likely be weeded out in due course and months from now an already appealing menu will likely be strengthened. Soon to be open 24 hours, we can imagine eating at Duck & Waffle lots going forward, at all times of day, happy and approving of Bishopgate's latest offering in its near thousand year history.
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One small gripe however on the drink front, the small bottle of Pale Ale ordered, while nice, came in at a shocking £6 per bottle before service for a half pint, so making this with service a £13.50 pint which seems to me utterly unreasonable. Am I just behind the times? Is £13 a pint the right price point for London restaurants to charge for beer? I may have to stop drinking. Still water is £5 a bottle.
Whinge over, we did enjoy Duck & Waffle as it stands while recognising it holds even more promise for the future. Open less than a month under substantial scrutiny, chef Daniel Doherty (@DanDoherty_) is delivering engaging dishes in a fun and vibrant setting. The occasional miss will likely be weeded out in due course and months from now an already appealing menu will likely be strengthened. Soon to be open 24 hours, we can imagine eating at Duck & Waffle lots going forward, at all times of day, happy and approving of Bishopgate's latest offering in its near thousand year history.
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