Duchy has just opened in Shoreditch, and it has some big shoes to fill.
The space it’s housed in used to be Leroy – a rare combination of reasonable prices & a Michelin Star that sadly had to close last year. Well, those shoes are now being ably filled by a very big pair of, er, feet (apologies, the metaphor breaks down here and gets a bit gross) in the form of two former Leroy team members, who have taken over the place, and are aiming to replicate all the good bits of the previous restaurant, with an inviting, intimate, and fun European-style bistro.
And naturally, Nudge Members (and a lucky guest) will get to indulge in the good bits too, thanks to a secret soft launch with 50% off the food bill from 13th – 24th May.
The two guys spearheading this reboot are chef Simon Shand and manager Alex Grant. Being perched on the hairpin end of the street, the whole space itself is basically triangular, and they’ve given it the lightest of refurbs, keeping Leroy’s signature wall of 200 vinyl album covers, and also the former venue’s long, beautiful marble bar, too.
Now, we know what you’re thinking – obviously with a name like Duchy, they’re inspired by the Duchy of Savoy, a quasi-country that existed for about 4 centuries (from 1416 until 1847) and took up a chunk of land that straddled Southern France & Northern Italy. Not, you know, Holland. And you’d be right.
The opening menu involves the likes of brown crab arancini and pork shoulder & smoked eel croquettes to start, followed by anchovies draped in lardo on marjoram toast, or a roasted pork neck slicked with bagna cauda. Mains range from a classic Dover sole Grenobloise to larger sharing cuts like côte de boeuf or whole red mullet with beurre blanc. And if you find yourself with space, desserts will include deep-fried milk with vanilla gelato and cannoli stuffed with sweetened ricotta.
There’s an area-appropriate wine list to go with all of this, and you can get a few cocktails, too.
NOTE: Duchy is open now, Tuesday to Saturday. You can find out more, and make a booking at the Duchy website.
PERK: Nudge Members (+1) are getting 50% off the food bill from 13th-24th May. For booking details, just check the ‘Secret Soft Launch’ box at the top of this page.
Not a Nudge Member yet? Sign up for a free 7 day trial.
Duchy | 18 Phipp Street, EC2A 4NU
Like discovering great places to eat? Check out our pick of the best restaurants in Shoreditch