In a previous life, The Duck and Rice was a pub. Not a fancy pub, but a flat roof 1960s pub that started out as the King of Corsica and by the 2000s had become The Endurance. In 2014 it took on a new guise; as a glossy spot for dim sum and Cantonese cuisine under the auspices of Alan Yau; founder of Wagamama, Hakkasan and the neighbouring Yauatcha. This is a pub by way of Dubai; sleeker than Soho’s many carpeted boozers (the ever-enticing Blue Posts, opposite, for example) and swankier than the restaurants in nearby Chinatown. Upstairs in the ‘restaurant’ (downstairs is more ‘pub’-adjacent, but the same menu applies) house-y music bangs and it’s busy but not hectic.
When it comes to the menu, it’s all about the classics. There’s crispy duck and pancakes, sesame prawn toast, and all the top chicken permutations; kung po, sweet and sour, and chow mein. The Duck & Rice isn’t about deep Cantonese cuts, it’s about crowd pleasers done with a hearty flair in a room where you can sink brimming pints of pilsner direct from steampunk-style copper tanks on site. Our salt and pepper squid is super succulent, accessorised with hunks of potent garlic and soft spring onion, and soft shell crab comes in a creamy, mild curry sauce that’s perfect for spice virgins. Kung po chicken is salty - all the better for sinking more beer to.
Duck & Rice does decent dishes in a fun setting, and the mixture of Chinese restaurant and posh pub is inspired. Consider this the kind of place where you can impress out of towners with the buzz of Soho, but not scare them too much with convoluted pickle plates.
Time Out tip
There’s a weekday lunch menu from 12-3pm. Grab sweet and sour pork with rice, kung po chicken with rice or chicken katsu curry, and add on a dim sum selection for just £5 extra.
Order this
To keep things simple, The Duck & Rice house special is ‘Duck & Rice’ - an order of Cantonese roast duck, jasmine rice and cucumber. It’s not cheap, but it is enough to fill you up, with a pint on the side.