What a strange place

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wjh
Joined: Apr 14, 2007
Posts: 76
3

We've been here three times. The first time was just to look at the place to see whether we wanted to occupy the building during the zombie apocalypse (yes). The second was for an afternoon beer. The third was for the fish and chips. Each time we visited, we felt like intruders. But the third time was better than the second, and the second time was better than the first.

One of the owners (we're not sure which one is which) talked to us the second time we visited and made it very clear how proud he is of his English heritage, English beer, English fish, and shitty English pool table upstairs. The shitty English pool table is a fantastic metaphor for the Dirty Duck Pub. Go there, snub the owners as you walk in, proceed to the second floor, and take a look at that shitty English pool table. If you feel a wave of English nostalgia, or understand on some level that that shitty English pool table likes itself just the way it is, go back downstairs and order a beer.

On our third visit we were greeted by a very kind foreign (Irish?) waitress whom we immediately began to feel sorry for. She was clearly trying to bring some warmth and charm to this otherwise foreboding and standoffish establishment—and she did a great job. But with my beer of choice being unavailable for the night and those neverending kitchen issues, she could only do so much.

It was curry night and we ordered samosas and lamb vindaloo. Wow. It was fucking delicious. We were taken by complete surprise. Four red peppers on the menu indicated a certain level of spiciness, though this was clearly in relation to English tongues only. We were promised jasmine rice but were given plain old cheap Chinese rice. This really pissed me off, Dirty Duck Pub. If you don't have jasmine rice, don't say that you do. If you run out of it, don't assume that I won't notice, discount the bill.

Dirty Duck Pub boasts that its fish and chips are the best. So even though it was curry night, we ordered fish and chips as well. The fish itself truly is superior. It's outstanding. The batter was unfortunately soft and chewy. The waitress asked for our opinion, saying they were trying to improve everything. We mentioned that the fish could be a bit crispier, but forgot to mention the cheap Chinese rice (or maybe it was Uncle Ben's one minute instant rice).

Everything came incredibly late. We were sitting on the (fantastic) rooftop, wondering whether they were slaughtering the lamb or posting an ad for a chef. For as long as this place has been around, I imagine they haven't settled into an efficient routine yet because there simply aren't enough customers. The waitress brought everything up to the roof with a huge smile and an apology.

I'd love to go back on curry night or try the fish and chips again (maybe that chewy batter was a one-off), but I fear that they've fired the waitress. I have no reason to suspect they've fired the waitress, she just felt so out of place there, she couldn't have lasted long. I wouldn't want to have to communicate my order to anyone but her. I'll wait for some positive reviews before going back

Either these owners don't know the value of what they have, or they don't care, or we are simply not welcome. I wish Gordon Ramsay would pop in and get them to take a little English pride in their English pub.

The first and second floors are weird. Go up to the roof. The beer was fine. Nothing stood out.

I have also been here and while some aspects of the place are really not bad, I agree about the owners. They are so standoffish you get the distinct impression you are not welcome, and maybe you're not if you don't have St. George's Cross/Bulldog tattoos on visible display. The English nationalist vibe in this place just makes it weird. I don't particularly want to drink in what feels like a cross between a Wetherspoons and a BNP recruitment centre.