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.