When Burger and Lobster first opened its doors in Mayfair at the end of 2011, eyebrows were raised at the price of what must have been London's cheapest Lobster at £20 for a whole sea beast with chips and salad. This cheapness was offset somewhat by the alternative option of a £20 burger with the same sides - the vast margin made on one, clearly helping out with the smaller margin made on the other. A heated debate ensued over the business model, which spread the fame of Burger & Lobster far and wide, paving the way for their more recent opening of a far larger venue in Dean Street. Finally you no longer have to endure a 3 hour wait having pandered to a ill-mannered (though fabulously camp) door man with flowing golden locks. Lobster is there to be had by all at a good price, pain free. Wonderful.
Flo and I are both a little obsessive about Lobster. Our university years' cravings were sated at the Oxford Loch Fyne, which used to do an excellently priced half lobster as part of a sharing platter for 2 - around £32, though I can't get up an accurate menu online right now and it looks as though they've raised their price to £52 for a platter for 2 including a half lobster and whole crab. Since then, I've mainly bought live ones to cook myself, as my 'Surf and Turf Special' with home made chilli aioli (I will post this recipe at some point but for those of you with a sensitive disposition, you should look away as yes, you do have to kill the thing yourself).
Having recently been to both Margate and Cornwall, my love for great British Lobster is back with a vengeance so I've set out on a mission to find London's cheapest. By this I mean cheapest whole lobster meal with sides. The number of times that I've been disappointed by a menu's promise of lobster or crab to find that they forgot to mention that what they really meant was that they'd shredded some meat (which had probably arrived frozen) and then mixed it with potato or rice. I'll save you the details of a recent argument had with a waitress but suffice to say it should be illegal to describe what was a potato and crab stick croquette as a 'fresh crab and red pepper fritter'. Period.
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| Lobster & butter the way it should be |
Both Loch Fyne and Fishworks have been reliable venues for fresh lobster at good prices for years. They are often over-looked by us trendy, young folk, as they serve traditional food and could be described as chains, however this really is a misconception as both places buy fresh fish from markets and therefore have to operate independently to some degree. Fishworks currently offers a whole grilled lobster with garlic butter and parsley (seasoning, not sides) for £26, which is more than reasonable but certainly not the cheapest out there. The Marylebone one is cosy and discrete if you're in the area.
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| Lobster lunch at LPDJ Westfield |
My search led me to one place alone which promised a cheaper whole lobster - at £15 for lobster with chips or salad, £19 with a glass of Chablis thrown in, or £21 if you replace the Chablis with champagne. Surprisingly, this deal is to be had at Villandry, Great Portland Street on a Monday night. They top and tail the week with this Monday menu and the equivalent steak night on a Friday too. I was very excited to have discovered this and to be able to share it with you, but sadly we were disappointed. I don't like to give negative reviews, as we're still quite a young blog so to give a negative review assumes that people actually value our opinion rather than seeing us as some light reading, however as my mission has been foiled, I'm forced to share the results.
Upon arriving at Villandry, we had a drink outside - very pleasant in good weather as Great Portland Street is just busy enough for people watching without feeling as though you're sitting in a thoroughfare. When we went inside to our table, the place was dead. Clearly the Monday deal is intended to entice more people inside than they would usually get but it's not working. Ambience: nil. This wouldn't have been a problem, as Flo, Katy (my flatmate) and I are more than enough company for ourselves.
The problems started to arise when we ordered the food... this is what happpened. Neutral facts rather than judgement: We ordered. 10 minutes later, the waitress told us that lobster takes 20 minutes to prepare. We said that was fine. 1/2 hour later our very small lobsters arrived, without any sides or the third meal for Katy (fish-o-phobic). 5 minutes later, no sides, no meal, having complained twice, a pseudo-apology. 5 minutes on, the rest of the food arrived. As we were one of 2 whole tables in a restaurant set for 60, this really wasn't understandable on any level. The plus points: The price, the lobster, which was perfectly cooked, though cold by the time we ate it and Villandry's Aspen fries (truffled fries with parmesan), which I always order when I have a business lunch there - a better experience as a rule.
So Burger & Lobster is the ultimate winner for a great experience at a great price. They also have a fantastic cocktail list - cocktail accompaniments to heavy food is a hard thing to get right, and they have nailed it. Head to Dean Street to avoid the insane queues in Mayfair and enjoy!
Flo will post Lobster part 2 soon with her DIY recipe. My own Surf and Turf Special to follow when I'm feeling indulgent next.
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