This blog has definitely helped to break my recent restaurant fatigue. A new addition to the ‘no chain’ restaurant rule was the now infamous Burger and Lobster. Originally just in Mayfair, they now have an establishment in good old Soho. So last week, I went to see what all the fuss is about (this is a lie, it was about 4 months ago now but that doesn’t bother you dear readers, does it?)
The name of the joint is pretty self explanatory, if you go, you better like burgers and or lobster. So much so, there is no menu. Well not with food on it anyway, only drinks.
I went for the red wine, in case you were wondering. My companion opted for a vodka cocktail, pretty pricey at £9.50 but then this is London and I was assured it was very nice.
So, no menu and you only have 3 options; the burger, a whole lobster or the lobster roll. And they are all £20. Having only been to MeatLiquor recently, the burger wasn’t an option so that left us with the two shellfish dishes. I had walked in cock-sure that I would be ordering a huge lobster (and trying not to think about Pinchy from The Simpsons) but at the last minute we both plumped for the lobster roll. Neither of us were disappointed.
Similar to Meat Liquor, it comes out on a tray and is served in disposable packaging. This new trend of no dishes does irk me slightly, I understand it saves on the washing up but when you’re paying £20 for a main course, you expect a little more than just paying for the name. Fortunately for B&L, the food completely lived up to the hype. The lobster ‘roll’ is actually toasted brioche, which with its slight sweet taste, compliments the lobster perfectly. The lobster is mixed with a really light mayonnaise and sprinkled with chives. I don’t think I would be overstepping the mark by saying this was literally one of the best things I have ever put in my mouth. All 3 choices come with a mixed salad and a bowl of chips. Rather than just being filler however, these were very enjoyable and only added to the already good meal.
If the huge main course wasn’t enough, we also opted to try 2 desserts between us; the strawberry cheesecake and chocolate pot. Again with the easy service, they were both served in polystyrene tubs. To be honest, these were definitely unnecessary. They don’t look like much but there was a lot of pudding here and it was Just.Too.Much. The chocolate pot had a layer of caramel and peanuts at the bottom. The salty-sweet combination worked really well together but it became too sickly after about 3 bites. The strawberry cheesecake wasn’t much better; the layer of syrup at the bottom was far too overpowering and it just made the entire dessert taste artificial. If you’ve got a sweet tooth I wouldn’t not recommend them but don’t go out of your way to try them.
So there we have it; a (very late) review of one of the best places I went to in 2012. Compared to a lot of hyped restaurants in London (BubbleDog I am looking at you) Burger and Lobster is absolutely worth a visit. It is even worth the queue, and that’s saying something.
Burger and Lobster http://www.burgerandlobster.com
