London has its fair share of great French restaurants, but how much do you know about the cuisine of Gascony? New Spitalfields bistro Monsieur Le Duck puts the spotlight on this charming region of France, known for its rich gastronomy and use of duck fat.
This casual, cosy restaurant takes inspiration from the South-West’s signature douceur de vivre (the ‘sweetness of living’) with expertly-cooked duck from Gascony farms, authentic side dishes, Armagnac aperitifs and Côtes de Gascogne wine. If you love French bistro classics, what could be more tempting than that?
We visited soon after it opened and were keen to see how well it would translate to east London. On arrival, we were offered a Pousse Rapière (the ‘thrust of the sword’), a refreshing, bittersweet mix of Vin Sauvage fizz with orange and Armagnac liqueur.
The menu is short and focussed with a Prix fixe including a main dish with one side and a house mixed leaf salad for £17. We were, however, treated to Le Grand Jeu for two to share – a rustic wooden board with duck cooked four ways, two sides and two salads for £40.
While waiting for the duck to cook, we enjoyed some warm baguette with silky, moreish duck fat butter and a bowl of fresh house mixed salad with a light dressing that had flavours of duck fat-roasted potatoes. The classic Confit de canard was a generously-sized Moulard duck leg finished in the pan with aromatic garlic and thyme. It had plenty of tender, flaky pink meat and an exemplary crispy, golden skin covering sticky rendered fat.
We also loved the duo of Magret de canard, which comes both pan-roasted and chargrilled. The duck was plump and juicy with a scorched skin and it worked particularly well chargrilled with that hint of smokiness.
For something a little more creative, there’s the Duck burger – Barbary duck leg with prune d’agen mayo, cornichons and baby gem in a brioche bun. The burgers were succulent and delicious with a little sweetness from the prune mayo and the fluffy brioche bun. There’s also a Grilled winter vegetable tarte with tomato, courgette, shallot and thyme, suitable for vegetarians and vegans.
Frites were the perfect accompaniment for the duck – hot, crunchy and well-seasoned. We also loved the side of Puy lentils with shallots and carrots, which were a highlight of the meal. I had to ask how they were made to taste so good and was told that the magic ingredient is a little bit of duck fat.
While the desserts are not strictly from Gascony, they’re authentically French and well worth saving some room for. Crème brûlée was velvety and smooth with a touch of fresh vanilla and a typically crunchy layer of burnt sugar. Tarte aux pommes with crème fraîche was just like the ones you’d find in a rustic French bakery with thinly-sliced apple, light crème patisserie and perfect pastry.
Monsieur Le Duck is great value for the high quality and provenance of the food and while its approach is playful, there’s some seriously good cooking there. It’s the perfect spot for satisfying your canard craving, especially in these cold winter months.
Chérie City was a guest of Monsieur Le Duck
Photos by Chérie City (interior by Monsieur Le Duck)
