


[Photograph: Kerry Saretsky]

I was at Borough Market, walking around after I'd had my requisite chorizo sandwich at Brindisa, when I walked by a huge, steaming paella pot vat of shredded duck. When you see that much duck confit in one place, you've got to talk to someone about it, figure out what's going on, and decide how you can eat it immediately. Fullness should not be prohibitive.

The duck confit sandwich from Le Marché du Quartier at Borough Market is a study in how to defy the French reputation for small, stuffy plates. It's a big, somewhat soft roll, erupting with duck confit, and it's quite the bargain at £5 (about $8.15). The French man behind the paella pot takes one of these pre-slathered soft long rolls scraped with a French mustard I believe was Savora, which has notes of sweet baking spices, topped with a handful of requisite arugula. And then on goes an extravagant amount of the hot shredded duck full of soft, fatty bits and those crispy edges that are the best part of confit. The sweeter notes in the mustard tango a bit with the gaminess of the duck. Magic. It's the most haute hot, sloppy sandwich I'd ever tried. And I can't wait to line up with the others this weekend, like ducks in a row, waiting to get another bite.

Le Marché du Quartier

Borough Market, 239 Borough High Street, Camberwell, London SE1 1, UK (map)
020 7403 6222;



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