| Everyday Restaurants

Saturday Soho Lunch Club – Ducksoup

So much in London is about style over substance; restaurateurs want a slick and cool interior, a heavy on the door and the most glamorous clientele that they can entice in. But surely it should sometimes be just about the food?
Don’t get me wrong, I love the sexy Mayfair bars and restaurants but sometimes you just want a simple pleasure. Having read about the wonderful food at Ducksoup on Rosie’s blog, A Little Lusciousness, I thought it would the perfect next stop for the Soho Lunch Club.
Ducksoup

 

Me standing outside Duck Soup
Do you like my outfit? I’d got just a new top from Maje which I’d paired with a Joseph skirt and Jimmy Choo boots!
Interior of Duck Soup
The restaurant is tiny with a metal stools at the bar and just a few tables.
Me inside Ducksoup
The interior of Duck Soup is incredibly pared down and basic but, expecting wonderful things from the kitchen, I was prepared to over look the slightly dilapidated tables…
record player at Ducksoup
Music even came from an old fashioned record player…which reminded of the days of spinning around to Kylie hits as a child…
Some champagne eased us in nicely.
Champagne at Ducksoup

 

Ducksoup take pride in their wine; the wine list is short but all are natural and biodynamic. It was a fine tasting champagne…so nice we had it twice…
The menu changes daily and the selection of seasonal European dishes is hand written on piece of paper for you and updated daily on their website / tumblr account.
Bread at Ducksoup
We started with a good hunk of sourdough…I often judge a place by the bread and it was deliciously chewy (in a good way) with a crispy crust.

 

Artichokes at Ducksoup
Mr Silver chose artichokes with lardo to start. While the artichokes were good; the plate was very oily which was unnecessary with the lardo already present.

 

Prawns at Ducksoup
I chose Sicilian red prawns for my starter. The prawns were small and the skin was soft so I was told that I could eat them whole. The prawns were ok but slightly lacking in flavour despite the amount of garlic that was on there!

 

Lamb at Ducksoup
Lamb chops with salmoriglio. There were lots of ingredients on the Ducksoup menu that I’d never heard of and this was one. Salmoriglio is a Southern Italian sauce made up of olive oil, chopped garlic, oregano, parsley and lemon juice. Though the lamb was perfectly cooked; the plate was again overly oily and Mr S found the garlic in the sauce too pungent.

 

Fish at Ducksoup
Chargrilled Sandsole with burnt lemon. My fish was very well cooked and seasoned just right. We’re often told we eat with our eyes and the food at Ducksoup wasn’t particularly visually appealing. But, looks aren’t everything…

 

A side dish of mixed greens.

 

And desiree potatoes.
The food at Duck Soup was ok and reasonably priced; but I’d really expected more. I appreciate the ‘substance over style’ concept but the food didn’t live up to expectations and I’d had a much better meal at 10 Greek Street which espouses similar values to Duck Soup and costs around the same.
Ducksoup
41 Dean Street
London
W1D 4PY
Ducksoup on Urbanspoon