Little Duck The Picklery
BREAKING BREAD
I’ve come to realise my favourite kind of eating out is any meal with best in class bread for mopping duties and the bigger puddle of flavours the better. Having recently enjoyed just such a meal at Duck Soup—their Soho sister restaurant—it’d be beyond foolish not to try here, given it’s another East London catch up with our daughter and her boyfriend.
Another part of the appeal here is their extensive natural wine list, although we end up keeping to glass and carafe options, settling in with 500ml of an easy drinking Moravian Müller-Thurgau, Grüner Veltliner blend. Before long we order another of the same and add a deliciously dark fruited Montepulciano, with more than a lick of leather and spice in the mix.
It's suggested a sharing plates approach with 6-8 between us would be ‘about right’ and given we’ve a vegetarian and a pescatarian amongst us, it’s an easy decision based on one of everything, less two of the meat dishes.
Bread + butter
The bread turns out to be textbook sourdough, with the four slices disappearing off the plate before it’s barely settled on the table. Alongside, we’ve pickles and ferments in the shape of kohlrabi, turnip & swede and red cabbage with caraway seeds.
Pickles + ferments
The first role for the bread sees it slathered with grassy, mellow sweet buffalo ricotta, onto which I’ve spooned the sweet and sour delight that is pickled gooseberry, with tartness enhanced by the pickling, then turbo charged by a drizzle of honey and lemony scent from crushed cumin seeds. Its joy is prolonged by the puddle of honey, oil and pickling vinegar combining with the last traces of ricotta. It has me already calling for more bread.
Buffalo ricotta, pickled gooseberries + honey
Despite there being a generous plate of charred broccoli enveloped with ajo blanco, I do the honourable thing and wait, bread poised, until it at least seems abandoned by the vegetarian, leaving a mix of smoky urfa chilli with lemon, thyme and the sweetness of almonds in the perfectly pitched ajo blanco.
Charred broccoli, ajo blanco, urfa chilli flakes, lemon + parsley
I’m not nearly so honourable when it comes to the next vegetarian friendly plate that offers up a fresh take on mozzarella, with stewed flat Romano piattone beans and sweet datterini tomatoes, fresh mint and topped with the crunch of fried breadcrumbs. It’s a dish that offers a titanic blow for blow battle of textures and flavours.
Mozzarella, piattone beans, datterini tomatoes + pangrattato
Then the best iteration of a kohlrabi dish in my life lands and whilst a tangy brown crab and mustard dressing is the real hero it throws a spotlight on freshness of cucumber and mild sweet crunch of kohlrabi with sassiness provided by dill, red onion, capers and aleppo chilli. Besides, it’s also another bread moppers’ dream dish.
Cucumber, kohlrabi, dill, brown crab + mustard dressing
Succulent lamb sweetbreads have their creamy richness brought into line by a light kick of heat from harissa, sweetness from roasted onion and let’s hear it for a grin inducing pool of cooking juices, oil and yoghurt. It demands calling for more bread.
Lamb sweetbreads, harissa, yoghurt + burnt onion
Next is pasta e ceci; squares of fresh pasta, layered with sweet, tender chickpeas in the cooking broth, under a heavy dusting of parmesan that has the nonna dial cranked up to 11.
Pasta e ceci, parmesan + marjoram
And then, just as I’m ready to declare a triumphant victory over great food, another plate lands; pollock under a generous dollop of aioli, on a bed of cannellini with braised little gem and peas. It requires a herculean effort to fight off feelings of gluttony, but it ends with a final sweep of the plate with the last scrap of bread.
Pollock, white beans, braised lettuce + peas, aioli
It does, however, reduce me to an almost catatonic state, leaving me to take in what's a quirky room with an open kitchen, albeit integrated into the dining space with the feel of something between a country manor kitchen and domestic science lab.
Little Duck interior
It’s been practically empty, since we arrived at 2.30 which doesn’t affect us in our window seat bubble, but with the impeccable food they’re cooking, I can’t help but wonder why? Never mind, I’m eventually stirred to propose we try a couple of the puddings and some dessert wines too.
Strawberry sorbet + pink peppercorn olive oil
I’ve no particular interest in the strawberry sorbet and pink peppercorn olive oil, although that’s simply because ‘my’ trilece delivers a perfect sweet and creamy hit featuring a light sponge cake soaked in three kinds of milk—evaporated, condensed and double cream—topped with whipped cream and chevron marbled caramel.
Trilece
The final bill comes in at £318.94 inc. £35.44 service charge (£129.50 food / £154 drinks, including some booze free nonsense too) and at under £80 a head all in, it’s excellent value and service has been first class too.
The final joy is noticing we’ve been charged just once for the bread (£4), despite having consumed what must’ve been a whole loaf. That humblest of food staples has been perfect to show off the quality of the ingredients, exquisite food pairings, abundance of flavours and deft cooking skills across every dish.
I couldn’t eat another crumb.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED 9/10
68 Dalston Lane, Dalston, London E8 3AH
