Old Ducky French Café

I’ve seen so many tantalizing pictures of the food at Old Ducky for months, especially the Prawn cocktail, and was rather determined to visit but that meant driving to Pineslope Centre…so I delayed. On Monday, my wife and I made an impromptu visit to this awesome French café, and WOW, was I blown away by the amazing food, lively vibe, great service and relaxed atmosphere. Think French and I think stiff – but Old Duck is far from that. Now I wonder why I waited this long to explore this popular gem, as I would have been back a few times already. Any foodie would!!

There is a lovely warmth about the place and a special energy from the people. The owner, the young Ducky, Marina was at hand to welcome us, talk us through the food and made suggestions from the exciting menu, that will have you scratching your head on what to decide on. Just means you’ll be back to sample more of their delectable menu options.

 Our waitron, Melo (or Melo Yelo, which is fitting with all the yellow on) was an absolute Rockstar with attention to detail, service on point and just the right amount of humour..and aspirations of becoming an entrepreneur. The other waitrons like Paul and the duty manager, Happiness were on the ball , assisting to clear the table, check on us and have lovely, welcomed discussions about the food, which they are passionate about.

The chef’s Amuse-bouche of a thin slice of baguette with “Not Foie Gras” Pate Canard topped with a thin layer of cranberry gel started the meal with delight. And you can order this as a starter portion too! If you love prawns, the Prawn Shooter starter, is an absolute must. 4 perfectly grilled prawns served in a shot glass dunked into divine tomato crème.  We shared 1 portion so I only got 2 prawns and I’m surely getting my own portion of 4 the next time. I would not blame you if you ordered multiple of these like one would order tequila. That excellent!! And not to be missed. The second starter we shared was the tantalising Mussels in their “secret” sauce that was simple gorgeous.

The main reason to get my wife to Old Ducky was to replace a French Onion soup that I had apparently “finished”, in Paris, that my wife often reminds me of. So next comes the French Onion soup, which when eaten with the melted gruyere topped slice of toasted baguette creates a tastes explosion in your mouth. We also shared the Lobster Bisque, with chunks of lobster meat blended into the creamy soup containing mushrooms, saffron and a splash of cognac.

The waitron brings you a sample tray of all the open sandwiches – options, options, options!! We skipped that and opted to share a main of the Steak Tartare – raw chopped fillet of beef blended with a raw egg yolk, condiments of your choice or as we did , with the full house (all of them), prepared in theatre style in front of us with such flair, by Melo. This is a big portion of meat, eaten with slices of baguette, and we also added chips. Brilliantly tender, full of flavor and a rather gratifying dish. Highly recommended if you can get your ahead around eating raw meat.

Now I’ll be short on the desserts – we had the perfect, paper thin Crepe Suzettes and a decadent baked Cheesecake – theses are must haves, so keep space as the portion of cheesecake is substantial. And an expresso to round off the meal.

If you want a new exciting experience and to be transported to Paris, with French tunes in the background, the sound of chatter and laughter and swift service of beautiful plates of scrumptious food passing by and on your table, I highly recommend Old Ducky French Café. You’ll love the refreshing experience and heavenly food.