Ahead of their official opening on February 1, we took a trip along to the St James Centre to visit their latest addition - Duck & Waffle.
Before our visit, discussions were had around the flagship dish and how appetising we would (or indeed, wouldn’t) find it. Before long, we’d be eating our words along with the rest of the menu.
As soon as you step in the door, you’re transported miles away from the commercial feel of the shopping centre - into a carefully designed array of artworks and duck related sculptures. Before we were even in the main restaurant, we saw Scottish artist Amy Ireland hard at work on the entrance mural which she’s been painting since early November.
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Look down at your feet, and you’ll see the stunning tiles each decorated with duck prints. In all honesty, it’s hard to look anywhere without seeing something bird related.
That being said, at no point does this reach ‘tacky’ level. The furnishing remains tastefully duck-adjacent throughout.
After being shown around the restaurant by the maître d', David Sculac, we sat down for our first course. Shockingly, no duck nor waffle was in sight.
First up were Isle of Mull scallops with a thin slice of apple, jalapeño, and a truffled orange dressing served in a shell. They were gorgeous to look at, and equally as gorgeous to taste - though we were soon told by the chef on how to properly eat them.
After taking in the lesson ( picking up the full scallop before sipping down the dressing from the shell), the already delightful dish was drastically improved.
We asked the waitress, who seemed to know the menu off by heart long before opening day, what drinks to go for. She recommended the Waffle on the Rocks and Ristretto Negroni - we of course sampled both.
While the drinks were fantastic, cocktails at Duck & Waffle are on the pricier end so it’s definitely not the place to drink the night away - but totally worth a go.
Next up was pork belly, braised for eight hours with a chipotle glaze and served with Kewpie mayo and pickled cucumber. A sizable dish for featuring in the 'small plates' section, this one was fantastic - if ever so slightly too much.
By this point we were already getting full, but that wasn’t going to stop us. Before we got to the namesake dish, we had one more stop.
The deep fried haggis bar with duck fat caramel came out next, served with Bovril. You're probably thinking about how heavy that sounds, and you'd be right.
Another large 'small plate', this one wasn't for the faint of heart. Probably more suited to be split between at least three, just a few mouthfuls of this mouth-watering dish is enough due to a lot of heavy elements.
If you hadn’t already guessed by the point, Duck & Waffle may not be the ideal place to take your vegan friends. While options can be found, it’s definitely not the restaurants focus and could be a slightly disappointing trip for them.
Finally, the main event arrived. While the waffle, perfectly cooked duck, fried duck egg and mustard maple syrup was a surprisingly delicious combination- we had reached a turning point.
After three pretty sizable dishes, the Duck & Waffle’s flagship dish was a struggle and we would recommend saving yourself for this one. When it comes time to return, we’ll be ordering it earlier in the meal.
While it’s hard to fault any part of the experience, we fully believe this new spot has far more to offer than it suggests and highly recommend trying a wide variety of their dishes. Don’t be tempted to stick to duck, or indeed waffles.
Duck & Waffle officially opens on February 1, and you can get booked in here.
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