Ducksoup - Rufus T Firefly’s kind of restaurant

Given the length of time it takes to open a restaurant it is a spooky coincidence when several new places open in a short space of time with enough similarities to define a discernible trend. When the principals of these new eating places first got together and started looking for the money needed to make their dream a reality how did they all end up with the same combinations of the same key elements? Consider a small plate “tapas” approach to dishes, grungy New York style décor and “no-booking exclusivity” in some form or another. Step into the limelight Bocca di Lupa, Spuntino and now Ducksoup. It is as if there really is a mood of the moment which if understood by budding restaurateurs ensures success.

Ducksoup is a terrific place to eat. The proprietors of this new resto all come from the Mark Hix zone, and it is one of the signs of a really good restaurant that its alumni go on to set up really good restaurants of their own. At Ducksoup the triumvirate of chef Julian Biggs, Clare Lattin and Rory McCoy, have set out their stall to some purpose. The dining areas are tiny and crowded, the décor is grunge (one of the good things about stylish grunge is that it is a good deal cheaper to implement than slick design and when you are spending your own money that becomes a consideration), and it is more cramped and crowded than the Circle Line in rush hour.

The food is very good. If the décor catches the zeitgeist then so to does the menu. Three sections: small dishes served over the bar (£3.50) small dishes from the kitchen (£7) rather larger dishes from the kitchen (£14). From the first set:  duck rillettes – well-made, well-seasoned, a joy. Chipirones – fresh from the fryer with fennel and chilli, awesomely crisp. Or how about puntarella with anchovies? In the “half way” house there’s a star turn – chopped, raw hangar steak with toasts, great texture, a kind of rustic tartare. Then there’s spatch-cocked quail with pickled fennel and clementine. Move to the last section – three perfectly cooked lamb chops served with a squeeze of lemon, the fat as crisp as you could wish for.  Or the partridge ragu with papardelle, a host of Italian restaurants would be proud to serve this dish, rich as only slow-cooking can make it and a delightful combination of the almost chewy pasta ribbons and the clinging ragu. There are some puds, but it is hard to get past the goats’ curd served with honeycomb and new season’s walnuts.

There’s plenty on the wine list. Service is friendly. Get over the over-crowding and be prepared to rub shoulders (literally). Julian Biggs is to be congratulated for meeting that most difficult of challenges to present good food at its peak simply and without fuss.  Ducksoup is already wildy successful and has one of those complex “mainly non-booking but with some exceptions” that means you may have to pitch up and wait for a seat. It will be worth it.

Ducksoup, 41 Dean Street, Soho, London, W1D 4PY (020 7287 4599 www.ducksoupsoho.co.uk)