Ducksoup restaurant inspired by world’s best

The 40-cover neighbourhood-style restaurant will open its doors next week, being run by Clare Lattin, Rory McCoy and Julian Biggs, who all met while working at Hix restaurants.

Biggs, who will work as head chef and previously worked as executive chef with Hix restaurants, said: “We've all found our ideal places and I suppose it’s amalgamation of these. It’s a shared idea based on the sorts of places we like to visit time and time again - those that offer an easy European approach to wine and food.

“Clare used to talk about a place in Denmark she'd been to that was really ordinary, with simple seasonal dishes and a small accessible wine list.

“And then a friend of Clare's took her to Le Verre Volé in Paris, which I later went to. It was one of the happiest restaurants I’ve ever been to with the most amazing natural wines.”

The daily-changing menu will vary each day and will feature six dishes from the bar and kitchen, priced at £7 and £14 along with a small selection of bar snacks.

Dishes will include roasted beetroot, cumin and mint labneh, deep-fried artichokes with saffron mayonnaise, grilled octopus with green sauce and the house speciality of duck soup - a soup of Nostrale potatoes and foie gras will also feature.

The recession​

Biggs also revealed that the credit crunch has played a major part in more restaurants opening up in London.

“Going out to eat in London is no longer reserved for the affluent; it’s become more of an everyday way of life. The recession opened up lots of opportunities and there are many more to be explored.

“London is missing more of these places.”

Alongside Biggs, McCoy - who previously worked at Hix Oyster and Fish House in Lyme Regis - is restaurant manager, while Lattin - whose background is in restaurant public relations and book publishing - is restaurant owner and will also be working in operations.

Ducksoup is based at 41 Dean Street on the old site of Zilli Green, which is subsequently in the process of relocating.