Duck & Rice, Soho, London, England -- April 5 Our family of four with two kids ages 9 and 10 made our way to Duck & Rice after walking through the Chinatown area, which was absolutely packed and fun to explore, and we were looking for something lively with shareable dishes, and the overall experience felt energetic with some real highs and a few misses. Arrival and First Impressions The space has a strong personality with a mix of pub and restaurant energy and it felt busy from the moment we walked in, matching the chaos outside in Soho, but still relatively well controlled with a steady flow of service and a constant buzz that made it feel like a place always in motion. The Highlights Food came out quickly and leaned into that comfort style Chinese menu with a mix of dumplings and larger plates, and the soup dumplings were the clear favorite for the table with both kids fully on board which is always a win. The crispy duck with pancakes was also solid and more in line with what we expected, and overall the variety kept everyone engaged even if the kids stayed mostly in their comfort zone. The Challenges Portion sizes were a bit tricky for a family of four with several dishes coming in sets of three which meant ordering extra just to share evenly, and a few items missed the mark including shu mai that felt a bit dry. The duck and rice being served closer to room temperature was intentional to keep it tender but still felt a little off from expectation, and surprisingly there were no chili oil or similar condiments for the dumplings which would have helped quite a bit. The overall noise and energy level can also be a lot after a full day out. Final Thoughts This is a lively spot that fits right into the Soho and Chinatown energy and works well if you are looking for a fun fast paced meal with shareable dishes, but it is not without a few quirks and inconsistencies. We are glad we tried it and there are definitely things worth ordering, but with so many strong options nearby we would probably explore elsewhere next time, making it worth it for the experience but not a must return. read more

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One of the few restaurants that open later in London (midnight #swiftie), and it happened to also serve of the best Crispy Duck in town too! It's definitely a young crowd/scene haha plenty of people on Friday evening and luckily were able to get seating upstairs Beautifully decorated but it'll be hard to hold a conversation since it's pretty noisy lol Pretty good variety of menu items, lots of Asian fusion dishes SO and I opt for their Crispy Aromatic Duck, Prawn and Chinese Chive Dumplings and Scallop Siu Mai Their Crispy Aromatic Duck was 5/5 -- crispy and not overly fried, great flavor too, SO and I really enjoyed it, funnily they bring it to you for display... then take it to the back to deconstruct, and then bring it back to you for grubbing afterwards haha Scallop Siu Mai and Prawn with Chinese Chive Dumplings were great too, a good filler for dinner, wishing it came with 4pc vs 3pc but I get it haha A pretty penny (or rather, pound heh) but it's London Worth a try if you like Crispy Duck! read more

The Duck and Rice - Crispy Aromatic Duck - Chinese Near Me - London, XGL

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Great atmosphere to watch a World Cup match, eat great duck friend rice and a few tasty craft cocktails. Enjoyed the vibe and the service was great. Will be back. read more

Decent spot with lots of options for modern / accessible Chinese. Food a bit hit or miss.... Bao were amazing but the shumai were hard and stodgy. Decent beverage options also. Service was super friendly and fast and the place was cool... but even better if the food was consistently good. Should have tried the duck. read more

Ambiance was a bit loud. This would not be the spot for a romantic night but if you want good food and a great vibe this is your spot. Service was top notch. Super friendly, checked in on a regular but not obnoxiously so, and the food was delish. Everything was amazingly well made and worth the price imho. Highly recommend this spot in London, definitely will be added as a permanent rotation on my trips to London! read more

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Ok people this has to be a most try if you are in china town. The duck is amazing. There is happy hour from 4 to 7 for great drinks at an amazing price. read more

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A very good, upscale Chinese restaurant in Soho. Very trendy with good service. Most of the dishes are very Westernized (or Chinese-American as we would say in the US). The Crispy Aromatic Duck is very good. read more

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Back in London for a hot minute and we went back to The Duck and Rice. We made sure to book a table upstairs in dining this time. And service was night and day. Our waitress was amazing this time around. Food: Duck and rice! Loads of rice under a decent serving of tender duck meat with the crispiest skin. Wasabi prawns are like walnut prawns with a spicy twist. Har gao still delicious. And they even brought out a slice of cake to help us celebrate a birthday! read more

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Idk what it was but I got really lucky with the restaurants in London. The food , service and ambiance was impressive. The service was excellent. We had reservations for this one I feel is needed as it was crowded downstairs. Luckily they have an upstairs but the place was lively . So I've never had duck in nyc but I decided to try it in London and this duck at this restaurant was very juicy and delicious. All the dishes were yummy. I'm not sure what are the names but see pictures. I would definitely recommend for large groups and more intimate setting. There's two floors in this restaurant read more

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Make a reservation for the upstairs dining room and order the half roast duck. Hands down best duck we have ever eaten. This will be on our dining list every time we come to London! read more

The Duck and Rice - Chinese Near Me - London, XGL

While pricey for a college student, the dishes that I ordered were absolutely delightful. The restaurant was very accommodating for my group of nine and it had a sleek ambience. I shared a goji berry and spinach dumpling, a Shumai veggie dumpling, and an egg fried rice with one other person. There are only three dumplings each per dish but the shumai veggie dumplings were TO DIE FOR. I liked the goji berry ones too a lot but less in comparison. I also ordered a honey hive beer which I liked but I would not get a full pint because of its sweetness. I ate my rice with the chili oil (WHICH YOU MUST GET and try if you go), and it was honestly an amazing tasting dinner. read more

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Flavors are excellent. Service is average. Overall comfort at restaurant was great......

We were there on Christmas Eve for a special dinner. The service, wood and ambience was wonderful. This was solidified by the fact that Fred Siririx was at the table next to ours, so we knew it was going to be good. We ordered a lot of food and then wondered how we would eat it all--then we did! Highly recommended. read more

Main Point: a good example of where u have Chinese food that is very par 2 subpar @ a kind of fancy place, where u could have went 2 Chinatown instead sure if u want 2 go 4 the mood of possibly romantic @ a nice place.. u got my permission 2 go 4 it, do wat u want; nobody's stopping u or pulling ur collar from behind but.. Duck and Rice we had high expectations.. I mean the name, we finally made it in the 2nd try since it was so busy n overhyped as it turnt out points: (1) Service lacked @ 1st b/c they don't even know who was supposed 2 serve us (2) Tank Old Fashioned was ok for 11 British Pounds hell 2 the N O! (3) Fried chicken wings, green peppercorn - actually their best but not by much (4) Five spice fried chicken - should have named it I copy American KFC Popcorn Chicken for copyright infringement (5) Crispy aromatic duck - n this is supposed 2 b 1 of their signature dishes.. I don't think so.. go 2 Chinatown's Hung's way better n cheaper.. duck dry, hoisin sauce was ok (6) Pork & prawn shumai - bland n boring 2 stars; I've experienced much better.. believe me, u won't miss a thing read more

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Nice if overpriced gastropub, gourmet Asian food instead of the usual chips, burgers and shepherds pie. Chicken Katsu Curry: 4 stars Crispy duck rolls: 3.5 stars Hayman London Dry: 4 stars G&T with raspberries blueberries read more

What a lovely surprise! Yes, this place is pricey and high end, but did they execute perfectly! Had the Cantonese duck and it was amazing! Juicy, not too fatty, perfectly cooked with a delicious bit of sauce that tasted so good with jasmine rice. We also had several orders of shrimp har gaw and pork shumai dumplings and although they only came with 3 in each other, they were so good!!!!! We also ordered bok choy w ginger and this was seriously one of our favorite meals in London! read more

Duck and Rice is apparently famous and when I arrived on a weekday around 6pm the place was packed full of 20 and 30-somethings grabbing drinks. Definitely a fun vibe though a bit claustrophobic. Despite this, it was decently easy to grab a seat for one at the bar or at one of the smaller bar tables so long as you're ok getting cozy with your neighbor. The duck and rice was pretty good, very flavorful and lots of umami. Given the hype was expecting crunchier skin, more sauce, fluffier rice. That being said, it was a solid duck over rice, but probably not worth going out of your way for if you're visiting. read more

I knew I wanted to have dim sum as my first meal in London because it was an atypical choice. I chose this dimly lit place because it was close to my hotel and just right down the block from the record store I was perusing. Simply put, service and tankard of their draft Czech Republic beer was great. I was expecting worse with their dim sum but, it was decent. Nothing special or memorable about the char-siu bao, scallop shumai or hargow. I am a tough critic on this since I was raised in the land of renown Chinese food outside of China. Their ginger gailan was very good though. read more

The Duck and Rice - Hargow, shumai, beer - Chinese Near Me - London, XGL

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I will recommend this place for a fancy dinner or maybe a date dinner since it's a bite pricy. Also, it's not authentic Chinese food it's more Asian Fusion food I like the decoration : it's a mix of Asian elements with modern, European style furnishures. The service is good, and our waiter was nice and efficient even if we were a huge table of 14 people. We ordered several dishes to share like the (of course) duck and rice, some greens, lettuce wraps, yakitori, crispy duck rolls,special fried rice, Pak choi,... The food was delicious, really tasty and I was really full at the end. For drinks I had the Imperial Iced tea which wasnt too sweet. A nice place but pricy in Soho. I won't go often but I will go back for sure ! read more

More of a 3.5 star. Good place for a dim sum group lunch & share everything! Not expensive, we had 5 people and it cost 20/person. Overall not the best dim sum but above average & you can make reservations online! The interior is quite nice especially the second floor near the window. You get a lot of light. MUST GET: pork & shrimp shumai, baked pork buns (the baked ones are better than the steamed ones here), shrimp changfun DON'T NEED TO GET: shrimp & chive steamed dumplings, har gao (shrimp dumplings) read more

The Duck and Rice - front door - Chinese Near Me - London, XGL

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Finding food that appeals to vegans and non-vegans can be challenging, but Duck and Rice nailed it. The mock chicken was fantastic and the cocktails were amazing. read more

Great location, really nice interior. We only had the crispy aromatic duck and a couple of cocktails and everything was excellent. The duck was outstanding. Servers were super nice. Worth a visit. read more

The food was delicious -- for lunch we had har gau, xiaolongbao, fried taro root dumpling, duck fried rice, ramen noodles for my vegetarian husband, and aubergine with mui choi. The dumplings were all perfect; the duck fried rice cooked to perfection with mouth-watering crispy duck. I would have appreciated a higher duck-to-rice ratio, but it was overall a satisfying meal. As much as the food is high quality, this restaurant is extremely pricey. There are few to no Chinese people who eat here (I'm Chinese-American, so I don't know where the local Chinese go to eat high quality dim sum, but it's definitely not here). There are probably better places to go for great dim sum, but if you have the money and you are not sure what the alternatives are, you can't go wrong here. The restaurant is also in a nice neighborhood with great shopping. read more

The Duck and Rice - fried taro root dumpling and har gau - Chinese Near Me - London, XGL

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The couple of things that we got really hit the spot. Starter of the salt and pepper squid - no calamari tentacles, only the cut up and scored strips. Sessoned well and tarnished with pepper and green onions. Maybe a it pricey at 10 pounds but claimari at western places is in the same zip code. Got the jasmine smoked pork ribs and a quarter of the house duck. Both great. The jasmine smoke ribs aren't going to be western BBQ style - a little dryer. On the other hand, the house duck is served room temperature in a rich sauce. Super delicious (probably unhealthy). Topped it off with rice and a glass noodle. The ambience is hip as people say and the seating cramped, service mediocre (took a long time to order and wrap up), but I'd be excited to come back and try some more plates. Hope we didn't blow it eating all the best stuff! read more

The Duck and Rice - Salt and pepper squid - Chinese Near Me - London, XGL

Great place. Food is delicious, mix of mainly Chinese with other Pan-Asian fusion dishes. You'd think a place that has duck in its name has great duck. It does. The crispy duck with pancakes and plum sauce is a must have. The salt and pepper aubergine, currently a special, should be a mainstay. The Baos are also very good. Desert selection is limited but you probably won't have that much space left; the sticky toffee seems boxed but is still tasty. Bar-wise, good selection of tap beer. Interesting beer-based cocktails if you are curious. The gin cocktails are underwhelming. The decor elegantly walks the fine line between trendy and pretentious. Service is very good. read more

The Duck and Rice - Salt and pepper aubergine. Get this monthly special. - Chinese Near Me - London, XGL

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Owned by Hakassan, so you'll definitely get solid food. The crispy duck was definitely crispy and wasn't dry and others have pointed out. Presentation and decor make for such fancy Chinese food, but it comes with a ££££ price tag. Ehh, it was good, but I don't think it warrants the cost and a second trip. read more

The Duck and Rice - Chinese Near Me - London, XGL

Ambience: The decor in this restaurant was very nice - themed as a "Chinese pub". Our table was in the second floor with sliding terrace doors overlooking Berwick street (see photos). The staff were very polite and very attentive. Food: We ordered prawn crackers, dim sum, quarter crippling duck, the No. 23 and a side of jasmine rice. The dumplings were ok, could have been a bit more flavoursome (but I'm not a dumpling expert). The quarter crispy duck was delicious, served with pancakes. The No. 23 was quite normal, noodles with chicken; nothing too special. Overall the food was decent. Price: The price was very reasonable given the amount of food there was on the table! read more

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One of my must eats while in London, and so underrated. Most people opt to eat at Yuatcha so close by, but Duck and Rice has FANTASTIC interiors, perfectly combining modern touches with retro Chinese feel. I love restaurants with nice and unique bathrooms and Duck and Rice has these great wooden toilets and dark red tiling. The indoor outdoor vibe is great, especially if you are seated near the window. I cannot praise the G&T's enough too, especially the hibiscus one. Probably one of the few places where you can get crafted cocktails with AUTHENTIC chinese food. Obviously by the name, the duck and rice is superb with other dimsum dishes being great too. Located in the heart of soho, such a perfect place to go midday, lunch or dinner. Such a chill vibe with decent prices too. Make reservations and specify its for a meal not just for drinks and you will be seated upstairs. Some dishes have more fusion touches but they are still great. read more

Pleasantly surprised by this place, and it has the potential for 5*s! A pub style Chinese sounded to good to be true-It wasn't. This place has a brilliant drink selection-I had a few different beers and then some Gin and Tonics...all really good! The main attraction was the food, I think London struggles with affordable, nice Chinese food, so was over the moon when I found here. We tried quite a bit, with my favourites starting to pile up. some highlights included- -Salt and Pepper squid-fresh, tasty and not grease in sight -Duck Rolls-loved these-really tasty and fresh -The BBQ ribs-again really tasty, lots of meat and good flavours -The duck-a must for any Chinese for me, and these guys got it spot on! So the reasons we are a star short- the waiter forgot we ordered shredded beef (one of my favourites), and when we reminded him, we were told the kitchen was shut so we couldn't have it. Not something I expect to hear in a restaurant really...just still the pan on and cook some up. We were a big table spending a lot of money so the response was surprising. Top 3 tips for this place- 1.Book, it can get busy, especially if you are a big group. They don't have many larger tables. 2.Share-loads of great things are on the menu so don't all order the same, mix it up and taste everything 3.The drinks are great, so try a few and give yourself time to chill in the pub down the stairs to carry on the afternoon/evening read more

The Duck and Rice - Duck and Rice-Lobster, Chicken, Ribs and a bit more - Chinese Near Me - London, XGL

It was the kind of mid-day that felt like the world was running at low-volume. The sun had risen at 6am and heated the asphalt to a hazy warmth. Lazy tourists, having reached where they had wanted to come, now milled about the streets without a strong sense of where to go next. I quietly slipped into duck and rice where a muted TV played the world-cup in the background. Portugal v. Morocco. The ball was in Portugal's possession, dribbled and passed downfield. What should we get, I pondered? There was a Chinese person from China. Two from Canada. Another, myself, from the USA. All having coalesced in London, we now found ourselves in this Chinese restaurant, which on the outsides were decorated in a mainly western fashion: red-bricks and tin-barrels. Gin instead of Baijiu was on the alcohol menu. On screen, a Moroccan defender challenged the attack. The Portuguese player expertly evaded the slide. Do we want Dim Sum? Cantonese Duck? Crispy Aromatic Duck? Some committed to foods and then pulled out, others had come before and knew what they already wanted: jasmine ribs, duck fried rice. Now downfield, a shot was deflected by Morocco's goalkeeper, the ball flew back for a corner kick. I wondered briefly what kind of food I really wanted - the choice becoming as much a question of my identity as one of the thousands of lunches I've had before. I mean this was a Chinese establishment, right? So maybe I should go with that? But how Chinese could it be given that it was in the heart of London? I bet it could only survive in its location, outside of Chinatown, because of its decor - making white diners feel safe and comfortable in familiar territory. The ribs, I heard, were meant to taste like a Texas BBQ with a dash of jasmine flavor. Which of those were meant to taste like home for me, I wasn't sure. The anticipation built up in the soccer stadium. Players organized themselves in optimal setting to go towards the goal. After careful deliberation, I ventured into a dish that I had never heard of before: the "sha-cha glass noodle claypot" with my comfort zone of egg fried rice on the side. One to keep me grounded with a common narrative thread to the past, the other gave me the possibility to grow into something new. The corner kick flew. Ronaldo appeared. The ball hurtling deep into the net. Portugal went wild. And for a brief moment, the energy of the crowd's cheer passed out of the TV and into my body. And as fast as it came, faded back into the still-muted screen that cast the same scene to millions of people around the world. read more

Had a fabulous time here yesterday. Love the funky lux decor and comfy booths. The szechwan dumplings were perfect - really fresh produce you could tell! I also got the lettuce wraps which were surprisingly filling, and the glass noodles which had a perfect amount of crunch! The staff were incredibly friendly and we felt really looked after, esp by Kathryna, whose warm demeanour made my evening. They're clearly getting things right here and I preferred it to last week's date at Yautcha! Can't wait to return :) read more

Really cool place, bar downstairs with the big tanks of Czech Pilsner were a highlight! Atmosphere was good and the waiting staff were all sound. Food wise I wasn't that impressed and we had some issues. The dim sum starter was good, but the chicken gyazo we ordered was quite bland! For the main my girlfriend ordered the Duck and Rice, which came 10 minutes before my own chicken clay pot, which added onto the fact the rice was cold! Staff were more than happy to replace but I just think it spoiled the dinner a bit and when you're paying £15 a main course it's just not on! Like I say, it's a cool place and I know friends who have had some great food here, so definitely worth a try so I think 3 stars is about right. read more

The duck and rice is actually good coming from Hong Kong-er who is travelling London and lived in a very multi-cultural city of Toronto, Canada read more

The Duck and Rice - Chinese Near Me - London, XGL

We booked ahead as had heard it can be really busy... it was a Tuesday night and we sat down at 9pm and went specially for the Cantonese duck and rice... we ordered two, the waitress looks at me plainly 'there won't be any duck left now' I thought she was joking, Infact I insisted laughing as if it was a funny joke, that we'd love the duck, 'I'll have to check with the kitchen' she said 'it's most likely we won't have any' - long story short we left, considering we booked ahead I felt that we should have asked if we were going to order the duck... they are called duck and rice... it's a stone throw away from China town so we went there for a wonderful and cheaper meal. read more

The Duck and Rice - Chinese Near Me - London, XGL

Food was excellent. The duck and dim sum were excellent. I am not including the final star, however, because the duck is almost identical to a place where I live (Lien Hoa in Little Saigon) and it costs about half the price. I think this place is a bit overpriced, but it is good nonetheless. The service was excellent and I had a great time there! The drinks were good and the bartender is heavy handed. read more

We could not have enjoyed The Duck and Rice more. The could quite possibly be the best Chinese I've ever had. We are upstairs which the whole restaurant is fun and modern. They have big, functional copper Pilsner Urquell containers which are cool as I'm a fan of Czech Pilsners. The wife and I split 3 apps and 1 main course. Pork Belly with cabbage, smoked rib Bao bun, lettuce leaf wraps, and Kung Po chicken as the main course. We definitely ordered too much, but that's ok because we got to eat everything. All the food rocked. read more

The first waitress had her ass in my food while taking other people's orders (photo attached). The second waitress dropped our glass bottle and told us it was almost empty and didn't bring a new one. Duck was over cooked resulting it being burnt, the cucumbers were to thick, and pancakes cold. I was already pissed and needed to use the restroom which was 6 flights of stairs down with no light, very convenient after a heavy meal. My wife was frustrated and thank god I was able to calm her down with the new yoga breaths I learned last night. You can waste your time and go here or you can go to Mr.Chow or any other authentic Chinese restaurant that serves duck. read more

The Duck and Rice - 1st waitress had her ass in my food while taking other people's orders. - Chinese Near Me - London, XGL

Overrated for what it is. The restaurant itself is pretty, but the food is not worth the price. Walk a few blocks to china town and get some authentic food. read more

Duck and Rice has been one of the most hotly anticipated restaurant openings for this year, coming from London restaurateur Alan Yau, the owner of Yauatcha, Hakkasan and Wagamama. The idea is a Chinese themed gastropub in prime Soho real estate, right around the corner from Yauatcha. I thought it would be incredibly difficult to get a table, so when I emailed the reservations line a week ago, the request was more along the lines of "when is your next available table?" rather than "can I get a table next week?" But to my surprise, I was able to get a table on opening day, April 13, at my requested time of 7 PM without a problem. The entrance is dominated by a large copper beer tank, and behind it are tables that are arranged in a high table quasi-bar setting, and I think you can just walk in there. I was confused because there was no around to check my reservation, so I wandered upstairs, which was a more obviously restaurant setting. The first day was not super crowded, as I could see the odd empty table here and there, but also not very chaotic, which I guess is the benefit of having a few weeks of soft openings already. The menu is large and very overwhelming, with one side dedicated to food and the other, entirely to drinks. However, the menu items have no descriptions, and even with the experience of having eaten a lot of Chinese food over the years, I found myself asking the waiter a lot of questions because I didn't recognise so many of the names. In the end, we ordered two dim sum dishes - a venison puff and duck spring rolls, Singapore fried noodles, Jasmined smoked pork rib, crispy shredded beef, and some steamed rice. The waiter recommended one more dish, but that was already more than enough food. I had really wanted to order some seasonal vegetables, but at around £10 for nothing more interesting than bok choy, it seemed like a total rip off. The first 3 plates were our dim sum dishes and the Singapore fried noodles. I loved both the venison puff and the spring rolls - you get 3 of the former and 2 of the latter, but the spring rolls are huge and cut in half, and are served with a lovely hoisin sauce. They are also very generously stuffed with duck meat, so you can't go wrong here. The Singapore noodles were the size of a main, and the main reason that we thought that we had gotten too much food. They were very heavily spiced and extremely flavorful... but definitely was enough to comfortably share between 4-5 people. Next we had the Jasmine smoked pork rib and the crispy shredded beef. When we ordered, I had asked a lot about the crispy shredded beef, as I had never heard of anything like it before, and our Spanish waiter sounded like he didn't know much more, except that it was a highly recommended dish. It was very disappointing. In theory, they shred some beef and deep fry it, but in the end it came out like crunchy pork rind or something, served with enormous Sichuan peppers and rather unmemorable in terms of taste. The Jasmine smoked pork rib was the exact opposite, with a rack of about 7 ribs and an intensely strong smoky flavour, and very unique. Throughout the whole meal, I had the Czech pilsner and my friend had a Chinese beer and then a Japanese beer, both of which were wheat beers that tasted like Hoegaarden. The one thing I will say is that the foreign bottled beers do not come cheap - they are upwards of £7. The ones on tap are all European, with the likes of London Pride, a Scottish pilsner, and even a cider. When we got the bill, we were pleasantly surprised to find out that we had gotten all the food at 50% off, which had not been advertised. It is unclear if they are still doing their soft opening... I asked the waiter and he said that he thought it would go on until Thursday, but it was happening at the manager's discretion. If I had known, I would have definitely gone for the roast duck or the whole lobster! (they were like £40ish) Overall, this restaurant is certainly not cheap at normal prices, but then again it is Soho. It kind of reminds me of Hutong in the Shard, obviously with the focus on the roast duck and fairly similar prices. I don't get a strong impression that they are like a pub, large copper beer tank aside. I might pop in here for a beer, more because they stock some unique ones like the Chinese and Japanese ones my friend had, rather than for the vibe. The dishes are something in between tapas size and main plates, though personally I feel like they should focus on making them more like tapas. I'm glad I got the opportunity to check it out, but I wouldn't be in a rush to return again. read more

The food in particular isn't amazing but I think it's a cool place to get a beer and snacks. Thought the namesake duck and rice, fried chicken, and venison puffs were really good. They also have a good selection of beer and wine. It's best during weekdays, when it's a little quieter and you want to have a chat with your friends. read more