Duck and Waffle, London



The weekend I had been waiting for since Christmas had finally arrived, and in eager anticipation I boarded the train from Norwich to Liverpool Street on a wet and windy Friday evening so that I would definitely be in London for our Duck and Waffle reservation on Saturday lunchtime - I definitely didn't want to take any chances on this meal...

Duck and Waffle aside from it's intriguing name has an even more impressive draw - it is the highest restaurant in the UK, located on the 40th floor of the stunning Heron Tower, and offers unparalleled views of the London skyline...24 hours a day. Yes, that's right, 24 hours a day...so whether you fancy their infamous breakfast and brunch menu, their evening a la carte menu, or a cocktail and bar snacks in the early hours of the morning this restaurant can cater for all of your round the clock foodie fantasies.

Heron Tower in all it's glory

We arrived at Liverpool Street station in plenty of time and walked the 5 minutes or so to the base of the Heron Tower. I was like a child eagerly awaiting the lift to the top floor (I had heard how quick it was and being an avid roller coaster fan I was almost as excited for this as I was the actual meal!), however these excitements were soon quashed when we were told by the lady at reception that the Duck and Waffle was closed for the day. We could hardly believe it, we were told the lift had been damaged, (highly plausible taking account of the winds the previous night) but I got the sense that there may be a tiny possibility if we hung around a little longer some miracle may happen. And I was right...we were told (if willing) we could go up the staff lift, and of course we jumped at the chance - I mean we would have walked the stairs to the top if they had let us!

Beautiful View

The disappointment about not being able to use the main, super speedy lift, was evident, but soon dissipated when we actually realised we were actually getting to go 'behind the scenes' so to speak, and we did have a lot of laughs in the wooden box of a lift around the back!
The slight inconvenience was lessened even more by the complimentary champagne flute presented as we got our first glimpses of a birds eye view of London, which really is breath-taking come rain or shine.

Champagne

The Duck and Waffle itself is really quite small as restaurants go, and it isn't fussy at all, with more of a warehouse vibe rather than fussy pretension. The staff are all incredibly friendly and were more than accommodating when we told them that one of the diners on our table was intolerant to gluten by giving us gluten free bread where possible and advising us on the best choices to suit everyone's tastes.

Bar

Duck and Waffle Interior

Despite asking for a window table when we booked, unfortunately (but not unsurprisingly) this did not happen due to a rather slow moving table who sat and admired the view for a little (ok a lot) longer than the any of the floor team had expected! It was fine though, we were happy with our table in the centre of the restaurant, and could get up to wander around for photos whenever it took our fancy!

Dates wrapped in Bacon

The first plate to come was dates wrapped in bacon, with linguiça sausage and a dandelion salad. Although not being something our entire table wanted initially we all absolutely loved the flavour combinations, with the sweet date and spiced sausage complimenting the salty bacon and fresh salad faultlessly.

Homemade bread

This was accompanied by the Duck and Waffle signature home made bread, served with hand-churned butter and puglian olive oil. The bread was warm, and really delicious, unique in taste - quite earthy which I imagine may be something to do with the yeast, but very addictive, we finished it very quickly as by this point we had worked up quite an appetite.

Negroni & Bloody Mary

The champagne really got us in the mood for some lunchtime treats and being a party of four we thought it would be rude not to try each of the cocktail offerings on the brunch menu. I like a bitter cocktail so I opted for the negroni which was very nice, although maybe a little bitter for the first meal of the day!

Marmite Black Velvet & Mimosa  

My friend opted for the incredibly unique marmite black velvet which consisted of a marmite and Guinness reduction and champagne. I was allowed a sip, and I have to say, for a 'non-marmite' fan I found it incredibly tasty. Unique, unlike anything I have ever tried before, but I loved it, and would certainly recommend it for any marmite lover out there.

Crispy Pigs Ears

Being a restaurant which suggests a tapas style way of eating we ordered a number of things which took our fancy, and hoped it would be enough! The first of our choices was the crispy pigs ears. These came presented in a brown paper bag and had the restaurants signature 'seal of approval'. I thought the presentation was really nifty, and again highlighted the rustic and fuss free feel of the place.

Crispy Pigs Ears

The pork scratchings were BBQ spiced and were incredibly moreish - like the best example of homemade frazzle crisps - a personal favourite of mine as a child, I kept going back for more, and there was plenty to split between four for a bit of a nibble which made for a great taste bud teaser for the remainder of our lunch.

Essex Beets

The next dish was a beetroot and goat's curd salad, served with hazelnuts, capers and sherry vinegar. The dish was warm, which was an unexpected but welcome surprise, and the classic combination of goats cheese and beetroot did not disappoint. The addition of the crunch of the nuts and the salty capers worked incredibly well, and we were all rather happy we had ordered something fresh and (somewhat) healthy, as our meal was dominated by carbohydrate rich plates! This was one of my stand out dishes, I just wish there was another salad type option on the menu, I think it would add more variety and certainly for a larger table would be a very welcome addition if sharing the plates.



Smoked Scottish Salmon

We also opted for Scottish smoked salmon with accompaniments of a caper salad and crème fraiche. There isn't really much to say about this plate other than the fish was extremely fresh, and made for a welcome change from the rest of our hot dishes. Worth mentioning as well was the portion size, it was incredibly generous, and could easily be shared between 3 or 4 people as part of a meal alongside a number of the other small plates.

Wild Cornish Pollock Meatballs

Next we delved into the Pollock meatballs which were served swimming in a gorgeous orange lobster cream - much like a rich bisque, and Parmesan bread crumbs. I thought these were a triumph, the cream was divine, and the meatballs had a strange springy texture which made them feel more like a Thai fishcake as opposed to the more crumbly English varieties with (in my opinion) often far too much potato and not enough fish! Although the flatbread (below) was served alongside the salmon this also tasted wonderful dipped into the sweet bisque, and mopped up the juices great when we couldn't dip anymore!

Homemade Flatbread

Upon a twitter recommendation from the head chef I made sure we also opted for the Ox cheek doughnut. It was certainly the most intriguing of the dishes we ordered, and absolutely begged to be cut into and devoured. The coating itself was slightly spiced but also sweet, which matched the soft sweet dough so often associated with a 'typical' doughnut.

Spicy Ox Cheek Doughnut

However the real genius came when you tried it with the shredded ox cheek, which was rich and meaty, and fell apart in your mouth, complimenting the sweet apricot dipping sauce in a weird but wonderfully intelligent way. This dish, alongside the duck and waffle signature dish (below) certainly challenges your taste buds and gets you to re-think what you know about classic flavour combinations, a skill only the most accomplished and of course adventurous chefs could attempt with this much flair.

Inside Ox cheek doughnut

I think we would all be lying if we said that the final plates of food to reach our table weren't the ones we had been looking forward to since we booked a table some 2 months ago. We had to see what all the fuss was about, and were hoping (because they decided to name their restaurant after it!) that the 'Duck and Waffle' would live up to expectations. On paper, a crisp confit duck leg, a fried duck egg, sweet waffle and maple and mustard syrup could either be the biggest foodie car crash known to man, or the most ingenious plate of breakfast food to ever grace my mouth. Thankfully, it was the latter - and I should never have doubted it's brilliance.

The 'Duck and Waffle'

The duck itself was cooked to perfection, still moist, but with an wonderful crisp skin. The egg, vibrant and runny, when burst married the meat and waffle combination together, and the addition of the syrup elevated this plate to brunch heaven. It was classified as a sharing dish - and feeling my arteries harden somewhat after all of the delicious plates food we had previously devoured, I could see why. However if you are just visiting for the one dish you could easily polish off this plate individually - although I wouldn't recommend it, there are too many other brilliant dishes you shouldn't miss out on.

And one more view...couldn't resist!

The Duck and Waffle is well deserving of all of the hype it has received since opening in the Summer of 2012. The view is astounding, and the service impeccable, we felt very welcome - and despite the mishap with the lift at the start of the meal, this was rectified and apologised for numerous times throughout the course of the lunch...champagne is always a welcome distraction too of course!

The meal came to around £170 for the four of us, I think this is fabulous value for money - especially if you take off the pretty pricey cocktails at £14 a pop, the quality of the food, and the remarkable views of one of the best loved cities in the world make it a 'must do' London eatery in my mind. Even if I did miss the infamous lift I would highly recommend this restaurant, breakfast food, in my mind, will never quite be the same again.

http://duckandwaffle.com/



Lavender House 'Food Hero Masterclass - Matt Cockin', Brundall

One of a number of foodie Christmas presents bought for me this year (Santa knows me too well clearly!) was a Tuesday evening Masterclass at the highly regarded Lavender House Restaurant in Brundall. The class itself was celebrating the work of Matt Cockin, a Norfolk food hero, award winning charcuterie aficionado with 'the fruit pig company' and all around expert on all things pig. We were promised a bit of a demo by the man himself, a few tasters to wet our appetite, and then a three course meal, designed to showcase the companies produce in all it's glory.

The masterclass itself is one of many evenings run by the Richard Hughes Cookery School, a fantastic venture which has recently been awarded not only, the 'Best Small Cookery School' award, but also the highest accolade of 'British Cookery School of the Year' - a real testament to the feel of the evening and restaurant as a whole, which, from the outset, felt warm, welcoming and friendly.

Demonstrating

Upon arrival we were welcomed in by the bar man, an incredibly charismatic gentleman who instantly put both my Dad and I at ease, offering us a choice of red or white wine and starting a conversation about what the night had in store. Soon we were shown to a room (which I presume is usually the main restaurant) where a table had been set up for Matt's demo and the night was underway. Almost instantly we were bought out our first taster of a miniature Toulouse Sausage, flavoured with bags of garlic and herbs which really kick started our taste buds, all the while Matt described stories of his background and how his business (as if by chance) came to light.

The 'main event' was really when Matt lifted up the largest pigs head I have ever seen from under the bench and proceeded to explain to us (whilst butchering) where certain, more undiscovered, bits of pork were found. Of course upon explanation we were offered samples to try; pigs ear scratchings with lemon, pork cheek bacon - dusted with Matt's spice mixture and the braised cheek oyster with capers.

Pigs ear Scratching

Pork Cheek Bacon

Cheek oyster and capers

As you can imagine it was all outstanding - and made all the more impressive because we had just seen the part of the head each part originated from. The bacon I think was my favourite, coated in a spice mix which Matt did go on to explain, but due to the extensive list of ingredients, I can't even begin to remember. The spicy sweetness complemented the salty streaky bacon pieces perfectly, and I was beginning to see (as I imagine Matt had hoped when he set out for the evening) just how versatile the humble pig really is.

Rosemary Bread

When the demo was finished - which lasted approximately 90 minutes including some excellent questions, we were offered a second glass of wine and shown to our communal table where homemade rosemary bread was waiting for us. I have to say although all of the tasters were delicious, I was absolutely ravenous by this point and soon devoured as much of the carbohydrate as I could feasibly get away with without looking like a pig (excuse the pun)...nonetheless the bread was lovely, still warm and a perfect accompaniment to the starter of smoked haddock chowder soup.

Smoked Haddock Chowder

The soup evoked wonderful memories of being on San Francisco pier eating chowder out of a Boudin sour dough bread bowl, one of my all time favourite foodie experiences, so I was a very happy lady to say the least. I had expected the starter to have some sort of 'Fruit Pig Company' twist to it too, maybe in the form of some crisp bacon on the soup for example, but I didn't let that detract from the excellent flavours - plus I knew I was in for a huge treat with three different delicacies on the main course.

Pulled Pork, Pork Belly and Black Pudding
 

The main course really was a celebration of all things pig! We were treated to pulled pork which just fell apart in your mouth, crisp pork belly and the internationally acclaimed black pudding - which has won awards both in the UK and overseas. This was accompanied by kale, simply buttered and with a dash of black pepper, and the smoothest apple (and I believe parsnip) puree, which complemented the meat with effortless sweet elegance. The black pudding was delicious - as a family we had actually sampled this very black pudding as our Christmas day starter with pea puree, pancetta and seared scallops so we knew it was good, but it really is the best I've ever tasted and well worth sampling - especially now I know the lengths Matt goes through to ensure it's quality, it makes it all the more special!

Our Family Christmas Starter!

The other two components were faultless too - and differed completely in texture and flavour. It really does again showcase how versatile pork is, and how we should really be looking at other ways to try this wonderful product, aside from the usual chops which can so often give, in my opinion, pork a bad name, especially when overcooked and dry.

The final course was a British classic - Sticky Toffee Pudding. Obviously I wasn't expecting a fruit pig twist on this dish but it was a perfect end to the meal none-the-less. Every component was how it should be with the sauce oozing sweetness which married well with the cream, and the cake just stodgy enough to make you feel slightly naughty but not too much for the guilt to set in!

Sticky Toffee Pudding

The night was a huge success, I would really recommend trying anything run by the Richard Hughes Cookery School - although Richard was not demonstrating himself, he spent the evening watching and asking questions which really gave you the feel he loves what he does and desperately wants to share his passion with all of his guests.

I also cannot recommend the fruit pig companies produce highly enough; the time and effort invested in making each item from their stock, speaks wonders for the care Matt takes in making each thing delicious, and you really only have to try their black pudding once to want to keep going back again and again.

The evening really has made me put The Lavender House on my 'to-do list for the future' now, and  can't see it being long before I return, either for a full slap up meal, or another excellent masterclass.

http://www.thelavenderhouse.co.uk/

http://richardhughescookeryschool.co.uk/

https://www.fruitpigcompany.com/

Flaming Galah Aussie Pie Shop, Norwich

After hearing rave reviews both online, and from friends who had ventured out to find the infamous 'Flaming Galah Aussie Pie Shop' in Norwich I knew I had to try it myself. So one wet and windy day I did just that and made my way down Ber Street to see what all the fuss was about.
The shop itself is not, as the name may suggest, owned by an Australian, but instead run by a man who spent 4 years out in Australia and fell in love with their pie culture. Upon returning to the UK he knew he needed to share his tales and recipes with the Norfolk folk, and boy, I'm glad he did!

Exterior along Ber Street

As you can tell from the above picture, if it wasn't for the bright blue paint, you could easily miss this little gem, but seen as I had my eyes peeled I recognised the classic Australian road sign and went straight in to be greeted with a friendly welcome. The inside is obviously some kind of old takeaway place, with high counter and heated display cabinets showing all the pies. The few bench seats which were available were all taken - a testament to the popularity of this eatery, but thankfully a lady moved so I could enjoy my pie seated too, now it was just down to deciding which pie I wanted.

The menu was excellent, with both breakfast options (at £3, or £3.50 with a hot drink) and 'all day' pies, each with brilliantly inventive names such as 'The Bondi' (seafood chowder pie) and the aptly named 'Flaming Galah' (a spicy Penang curry filling). With the main pies you can opt for the 'Bonza deal' which includes the pie, a big scoop of creamy mash, mushy peas and gravy, which all comes to £4.95 - an absolute bargain seen as I was really stuffed after mine!

The Special - Roo Stroganoff

I opted for the bonza deal with one of their daily specials - 'The Roo Stroganoff' - slow cooked kangaroo meat, sautéed with onion and mushroom in a creamy sour cream, paprika, red wine and parsley sauce. I cannot tell you how impressed I was. The gravy had great depth of flavour and the mash was just creamy enough to provide a great contrast to the sweet peas and the salty crisp pastry. The pastry itself was perfectly crisp and cooked excellently throughout - something I imagine after watching my fair share of 'Great British Bake Off' isn't the easiest thing to do, but the star of the show without doubt, and rightfully so, was the filling.

One of many huge roo pieces

I have had a few excellent stroganoffs in my time - mostly cooked by an actual Australian, and I have to say this was up there with the best of them without doubt. The meat was cooked to absolute perfection - completely fell apart in your mouth, and as you can see the chunks were extremely generous too, you felt you were really getting your monies worth - something you can never be too sure of with a pie! The sauce itself was also lovely, with a hint of smokiness from the paprika, and just enough red wine and cream to balance all of the flavours out.

I really highly recommend Flaming Galahs Pie Shop, judging it by the standard of food when I visited, the excellent value for money  and friendliness of the staff; I really am surprised people aren't queuing out of their door dawn 'til dusk for their pie fix. From what I know of the Aussie slang a 'flaming galah' - means a bit of a lovable fool, I'd have to agree with the lovable part, but their recipe for success certainly isn't foolish in my book!