Review Duck and Waffle

It's not often you enter a lift and press the number 40. You might expect the subsequent journey to be quite a long and a jumpy affair. You would be wrong as the lift at Heron Tower travels at lightning speed and transports you to the 40th floor in no time, where the restaurant Duck and Waffle awaits you and your guests.

We made this journey on a cold Sunday evening recently and sadly, will probably not too soon again.

As you turn the corner, you are immediately greeted by a rather odd open bar area with limited seating where you can try some rather nice cocktails while enjoying almost 360 degree views over London. My Dark and Stormy cocktail served in a bottle wrapped in a brown paper bag was novel and very nice, but overpriced in my view. We were told that no window seats in the restaurant were available, but when we were eventually led into the dining room, pretty much every window seat was empty, so I guess they like to save them? The menu is not vast and I was disappointed that the BBQ spicy pigs ears were not available which is a bit strange considering they are a permanent fixture on the menu. Maybe the pigs decided to keep their ears. The kitchen is open and is situated at one end and its nice being able to see the many chefs in action. However, I found the food here to be quiet average which is a shame after all the hype and the whole roasted Shropshire chicken was seriously overpriced at £32.00 for such a small thing. The portions generally seem very small bearing in mind the big prices and service is a bit lacking in the restaurant itself and also in the bar waiting area. Everyone seems busy, but we waited ages to be asked if we wanted more drinks and also for the chance to order any food, which is worrying as this was early evening and the restaurant was quite.

I can see why this restaurant would be popular due to its location and wonderful views, but with so many great restaurants in London, they really need to think about their pricing and service to keep the customers pressing number 40 in the lift, instead of 38 where there is a rather nice alternative.