Duck & Waffle - Heron Tower EC2

Before I get on to the food at Duck & Waffle, let me start with the journey to get there - the lift up to the 40th floor of Heron Tower in the City was amazing.  Speeding up the outside of the glass tower - gazing over London, feeling like I was going to pop through the ceiling like Charlie & the Great Glass Elevator meant that I arrived at Duck & Waffle pretty buzzed.  Anyone who has a fear of heights should face inwards on that lift journey - just a tip.  I loved it!  There has been a lot of blogger buzz and some positive reviews from the critics about D&W and I was really keen to check it out.  Not so keen to check out Sushisamba, also in the Heron Tower - Jay Rayner and I are aligned on our view of that place and like him, I am put off without actually having been there (hey, who said life was fair?).  Anyway back to Duck & Waffle, which is fab.  I love the space, I love the view (the photo below is the view you get as you enter the restaurant - how cool is it to be gazing down at the Gherkin?!)

The main room is surrounded on three sides by floor to ceiling windows and the views are spectacular - I was early to meet my friend Ian for breakfast so I had plenty of time to take it all in - it is really amazing to be able to see pretty much all the main landmarks of London - the Olympic stadium and the Orbit Tower, Ally Pally, the BT Tower, the Shard, Tower Bridge, St Paul's - I could have spent the whole day just staring out the windows.  When the time came to order, there was only one dish I was ever going to order, the eponymous duck & waffle - crispy duck leg on a waffle with a fried duck egg on top and a pot of "mustard maple syrup" (inspired) on the side.  As much as some people have expressed some squeamishness at eating crispy duck for breakfast, this was seriously one of the best breakfast dishes I have ever eaten.  Chef Daniel Doherty is a genius.  I could eat this every day - the salty, crispy duck (perfectly cooked) on the soft waffle, runny egg yolk and mustardy, sweet maple syrup combo was sublime.  If I had one criticism it was the coffee - not terrible but not great.  A top notch flat white would have made an amazing breakfast experience perfect - but you can't have everything right?  Anyway - as well as serving a great breakfast, this place is super fun and with 24/7 opening hours I am planning many more visits - I need to sample some of the all-day menu and sip a few whisky sours as the sun goes down over my beloved London.