Ducksoup is a tiny neighborhood restaurant in Soho, London, and it’s the place where my husband and I most enjoy eating and bringing friends, sometimes before or after taking in a film at the nearby Prince Charles Cinema. Their beautiful cookbook has become the starting point for many of our favorite home meals. This period of lockdown has reminded me that there are few things more special in life than being able to prepare and enjoy a meal with people you love. When restaurants finally open back up, Ducksoup is one of the places I will be very excited about returning to.
Ducksoup celebrates simple cooking designed for enjoyment with loved ones; nothing pretentious or fussy, just wonderfully exciting dishes. The handwritten menus change weekly and are meant to be passed around the table between diners—it makes you start talking about the food instead of reading the menu in silence, according to Clare Lattin, one of the owners. They serve only natural wines, meaning low-intervention, organic, biodynamic wines from small producers. The idiosyncratic labels are often as appealing as the unique flavors.
A record player sits snugly in the corner near the entrance, with a selection of vinyl discs lined up, ready to be played. I’ve sat by the bar on countless occasions, reading a book and listening to blues or jazz or Motown LPs. I finish my meal with a pot of cardamom coffee, and then I’m on my way.
