The Duck and Rice

It’s not quite 1pm on a Saturday afternoon and Duck and Rice is heaving, the difference of course is that it’s not just fans of Chinese food. The majority of the patrons to this rather upmarket, club-styled restaurant, are joined by their beloved four legged friends.

Duck and Rice is probably the only Chinese restaurant in the capital that allows owners to dine with their four-legged family members.

The restaurant is divided in to two sections, the ground floor with the bar is slightly more laid back and open to pets while the upstairs is a fully service restaurant – no pets allowed.

Downstairs is tastefully decorated with a mix of booths (important for hemming in excitable pets), high tables, and the usual mix of table service. There is ample seating for all kinds of preferences which is particularly important when you consider that animals, no matter how beloved, in small confined spaces can sometimes cause tension. Anger and emotion can often rule an area if an animal is particularly sensitive.

The menu was pleasantly familiar comprising of a number of classic dim sum favourites yet was sufficiently imaginative to include a few specialities.

The ordering system was simple enough, tick off what you want in a sheet and hand it over to the bar.

We ordered …

The speciality duck rice was very good, with well seasoned aromatic duck

The Duck and Rice – Roast Duck with Rice

It was certainly a nice experience to be able to dine with our pet in tow and even nicer to see the various breeds of animals that made it there that morning too. We saw cockapoos, miniature yorkies, a big, friendly but slobbery chow chow, a schnauzer, and a young cocker spaniel puppy.

Dog owners are as always a friendly bunch when there are other dogs around so it was actually a very friendly atmosphere with some people actually going round and admiring other pets.

If you’re in Soho for a walkabout with your pet and feeling a hankering for dim sum, we would definitely recommend Duck and Rice.