"Yes, Minister" fans will enjoy "The Duck House"

Theatre Review:  The Duck House, Vaudeville (London)
Restaurant Review:  The Delauney

British comedy at its best manages to combine sparkling wit and wordplay, current events, silly farce and physical humour in a single package.  That's what's on offer right now in The Duck House, playing the Vaudeville Theatre in The Strand until 29 March.

The comedy re-hashes the expenses scandal of 2009, in which one MP's charging to the taxpayers of a duck house for his pond became a symbol of the whole tawdry affair.  This play invents an MP who combines all of those sins we read about into a single heinous, entitled-but-amusing character, played with comfort and flair by Ben Miller.

You'll know Miller from tv comedy sketch shows, and that's no surprise.  The play's authors work on shows like Have I Got News for You and Mock the Week, and here they've created the same humour in long form, on a single topic.  The whole thing plays out like an extended skit on a television satire show, a feeling increased at our viewing when two different mistakes triggered improv bits that were probably funnier than the original plot.

Miller's MP, Robert Houston, is an opportunist who's about to hop to the Tories as Labour implodes.  The expenses scandal breaks just as he's about to make the move, and he's guilty of every expense infringement you can think of.  Yes, even a duck house, which is the centre of a laugh-out-loud scenario in the first act.

After a quick set up, most of the plot is about Houston, his wife and son (who he's been expensing as his secretary and researcher, of course, though they've done no work) desperately trying to cover their tracks as a Tory grandee checks them out before accepting Houston's transfer and giving him a cabinet post.  As with any good farce, the harder they try to make things right the worse the problems become, and by the middle of the second act I'd challenge anyone to sit quietly.  There's a ribald massage chair, a vengeful Russian maid, a dominatrix, identity mix-ups, super-glue traumas and panda costumes.

It's not sophisticated … and I doubt it will have much of a shelf life given how much it depends on knowledge of news events of the time.  But it is very funny.

We started at The Delaunay on The Strand for a pre-theatre dinner.  It's billed as a "grand European cafe in the Austro-Hungarian tradition", and the high ceilings, dark wood, marble, linen tablecloths and silver, with smartly-dressed waiters, all combines to remind you of Vienna.  As do a formidable array of stunning Germanic-inspired pastries at the take-away counter and coffee bar that's the restaurant's more casual front end.

Seated in the main room, you'll find a menu that carries through the theme, with schnitzels, sausages, borscht and stroganoff.  It's not all Germanic, however.  Dishes of the day include curries, there are plenty of French options and I chose a hamburger.  Served medium rare, on brioche, with a cone of thin and crispy fries, it was the best I've had for quite a while.  Both boys went for steak tartare, reported as good but not fabulous.  But other dishes around the table got raves, including a crab salad and wiener schnitzel.

On a restaurant scene where most dining rooms have the same taupe-and-mushroom-with-modern-art look, and even some of the nicest places feel very casual, the Viennese formality of The Delauney is a nice change.  Had any of the waiters been tall and blonde, I would not have been surprised if they'd clicked their heels together and given a little bow after taking our orders.

Turns out this place is the latest offering from the crew behind The Wolseley, so the general vibe should be no surprise.  It's been ages since I've been to the mother restaurant (before the blog started … prehistory!) but I remember much the same quality and feel.

The good news is that The Delauney is open all day and holds tables at the front for walk-ins.  It's a great atmosphere, in a great location, to linger or to meet for business.  Indeed, this is actually my second visit as I attended a business breakfast in the private room here in November and was impressed enough to want to give it another try.  (The breakfast was just as good as the burger, and was given an admirable sense of occasion with all the grand, old fashioned table silver.)

The bad news is that the all-day hours mean there's no special pre-theatre dinner.  We probably could have done much better, price-wise, at any number of restaurants in Covent Garden.  The Delauney is made for lingering.  If you're going to spend the money, plan on settling in to their comfortable leather banquettes and staying for a while.