Duck & Waffle Hong Kong first impressions: dishes burst with flavour at outpost of hip London restaurant
- Irish crab, Hokkaido scallops, ox cheek doughnut and three Hong Kong-only desserts were among our favourites from the menu at restaurant in IFC Mall
- The Hong Kong outpost doesn’t operate around the clock like the London restaurant, but is open from 8am until after midnight
Duck & Waffle has landed in Hong Kong from London, and is off to a flying start. We got a look inside the restaurant in the IFC Mall, and a taste of several menu items, ahead of its official opening next week.
The interior has a New York vibe, with a bold red open kitchen at the back, shiny metallic pillars and a white wavy-tiled ceiling. In the dining area there’s a lot of black and white semicircular banquette seating and near the entrance are two green ducks that have laid glowing white eggs.
The view from the restaurant of the Central-Wan Chai Bypass is not as spectacular as that seen through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the London restaurant’s 40th-floor perch, and nor is it open 24 hours a day. But the Hong Kong branch serves breakfast from 8am and last orders are at around midnight.
As for the food, 40 per cent of menu items are Hong Kong-only dishes. No ingredients are sourced locally, however.
A definite highlight is the Irish crab (HK$160), shelled and mixed with puffed nori, oyster mayonnaise and sea vegetables. It’s light and refreshing. The Hokkaido hand-dived scallop (HK$170) comes in three thin slices marinated in apple, truffle ponzu and jalapeño, which gives it a very subtle spiciness.
A Hong Kong starter that didn’t pique much interest is spiced poppadoms (HK$60) that are dipped in smoked raita and curried mango.
The beef tartare (HK$150) includes a marmite-cured egg yolk and pickled onions served with thinly sliced croutes, and has an unexpected smoky taste. It is also liberally salted.
Instead of asparagus, charred broccoli (HK$105) comes with a poached egg and Caesar hollandaise sauce. We were sceptical at first, but it’s the long-stemmed Italian broccoli variety and it works fine, though we’d prefer roasted Brussels sprouts.
A dish of grilled octopus (HK$150) with potatoes and chorizo didn’t quite gel. The grilled octopus meat was delicious, but the capers and lemon dressing were too tart.
One dish that is on both the Hong Kong and London menus is the spiced ox cheek doughnut (HK$135), and it is a treat. Once sliced open, a large sandy brown ball the size of a baseball reveals the shredded meat inside. The fluffiness of the doughnut, the savoury meat and an apricot jam sauce combine very well.
Three desserts have been dreamed up specifically for Hong Kong. The PBJ macaroon (sic) ice cream sandwich (HK$80) is totally Instagrammable; the taste is sweet, peanut buttery, with slices of banana and raspberries, and macarons.
The warm chocolate pudding (HK$80) is a chocolate fondant, though it perhaps needs a sprinkling of sea salt or more bitter chocolate. The scoop of black sesame ice cream that accompanies it doesn’t offer much contrast.
For the curious, the miso custard tart (HK$80) has both savoury and sweet notes. It’s like a light cheesecake, and topped with white chocolate shavings to balance out the miso taste.
Duck and Waffle Hong Kong, Shop 1081, Podium Level 1, IFC Mall, 8 Finance Street, Central, tel: 2267 6338
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