In SOHO, in the hubbub of central London, Duck & Rice is a busy establishment with a lively atmosphere. There is a big tank of Pilsner Urquell tank beer downstairs when you get in.

We arrived a little before seven, and the place was nearly full, with hip people a fair bit younger than we are, as well as a some people about the same age or older. The menu is fairly extensive, but focuses on Cantonese food.

We started with some sesame prawn toast as starter. The two pieces of toast were cut length wise, resulting in four tasty morsels. They were moist, flavourful, and the right amount of crispy.

Our mains came shortly after the starters, way before we could finish the toast. I chose their signature dish, the "Duck & Rice" as my main dish. My wife had the king prawn Katsu curry rice, but I believe she was slightly wishing she'd had the Duck & Rice as well. That isn't to say that the prawns weren't well cooked, or the sauce wasn't perfectly nice, but sometimes you just have to have the signature dish; like the table of three next to us, but the missus was willing to "take one for the team" and ordered something else (thanks!)

The Duck & Rice consisted of a roasted duck, with a sweet and crispy skin, over a well cooked rice. I was initially concerned as the duck also came with a leg with bones. I'm not too keen if I have to effectively gnaw meat off bones (spare ribs excluded). However, it was only the one leg, and I was pleased the rest of the meat was off the bone, as well as being perfectly cooked, spiced, and paired perfectly with the rice. Because the skin was slightly sweet, so were the juices that seeped into the rice. The cucumber added a pleasant bite of freshness.

Instead of having wine, it made much more sense to us to have a beer, especially because they have some exclusive ones (we like beer). Which meant that with our dinner we enjoyed a Duck Pale Ale and an Orion Lager.

When we booked, the table was reserved for two hours. However as the service was quick, and we only really had two courses, and one drink each, we were in and out in a smidgen under an hour. The quick service, and the location of Duck and Rice, close to many theatres, might make this an ideal spot for a pre-theatre meal.

We might be back at some point, to try some other intriguing dishes.