The Pickled Duck Café Out of Town
13a Greenhaw Road
Derry
BT48 7SA
028 7141 4014
'Paint garden wall' - it’s only been on my to-do list for about 18 months, so quite why I decided to do it last week I’m not sure. The excuses I’ve offered, while ranging from the implausible to the ridiculous, have thus far served me well, so there’s no reason to assume they won’t continue to do so. And I’m pretty sure the solicitor’s letter threatening divorce proceedings is a bluff.
No, I think I was stirred into action by the other jobs on the list. The only reason I get anything done, to be honest, is the prospect of doing the other things is so dire.
Which is why I was standing in the paint shop the other day, flicking hopelessly through the colour inspiration guide, trying to remember the name of the paint I bought when the wall was last done. Perilous bunting or prefab fossil? Toasted whisper or insolent vimto? I was fairly certain I’d backed at least two of them in the Grand National last month.
Anyway, it turned out the man serving me was not only also from Liverpool, but actually from the same part of Liverpool as me. Although he’d only been here in Derry a few months, compared to my 11 years, we were still able to chat through the similarities and differences of the two cities.
Now, he was a Liverpool fan, so obviously not the brightest gloss on the colour chart, but he did make one interesting observation: the food here is better.
It's up for debate of course, but I’d say it’d be a close-run thing, except in one area: cafés. This is where Derry is a clear winner, and the Pickled Duck Out of Town might well be the pick of the bunch.
My brother and I came here after he’d finished his weekly session with his personal trainer. He deserved a big feed. I didn’t, but I wasn’t going to let that stop me.
It was a little after 11.15am, but we still had to stand waiting for a table. We’re not talking Penny Mordaunt levels of endurance here, but it was longer than I’d expected, given the time. Which, of course, just goes to show the popularity of the place, not to mention the quality.
We’ve eaten here before, and can attest to that quality. The sausage rolls are fantastic, the salads are fresh and full of goodness, the burgers are beautiful. I’d especially recommend the chicken burrito.
However, we were too early for lunch, the handover happening at noon, so had to be content with the breakfast menu. Not a hardship, to be honest.
My brother looked no further than the full Irish. The menu lists the local suppliers used by the Pickled Duck, and most of them featured on his plate. The café is rightly proud of the provenance of the ingredients it uses.
It’s easy to dismiss a cooked breakfast, but we’ve all had bad ones, and a good one is hard to beat. This was a good one – hearty, filling, very tasty.
I went for the avocado toast. I liked this a lot, apart from the herbed tomato ragu, the flavour of which didn’t appeal. Unfortunately, it was spread on one half of the bagel, so it was hard to avoid. It didn’t spoil the meal for me at all, but it detracted slightly.
Still, creamy avocado, crisp lardons, deliciously runny eggs and a sweet toasted bagel can’t be bad.
The banoffee pie was really good. The pastry was light and crisp, and the filling was smooth, creamy, and sweet, with a nice touch of coconut sprinkles giving a contrast in taste and texture.
As good as the food here is, however, I think the best thing about the Duck is its location, at the end of a parade of shops including a tanning salon and a dry cleaners, surrounded by houses.
It’s a cracking little café, sure, but it’s also a local, serving and responding to the community in which it sits, full of friends and a friend to the neighbourhood.
THE BILL
Full Irish – sausage, back bacon, hash brown, black or white pudding, mushrooms, tomato, beans, potato cake, toast, tea or coffee - £10.50
Avocado Toast – poached eggs, crispy back bacon lardons, guacamole, herbed tomato ragu, toasted bagel - £9.50
Banoffee pie - £3.30
Pot of tea for one - £3.00
Total: £26.30
