A trend they call it, they say you can't visit London without eating at Burger&Lobster. Located on the fifth floor of Harvey Nichols, this restaurant is always packed with customers.
Muted lighting, wooden floor, walls of wine bottles and lots of brick in a space filled with wooden tables and lit with lights suspended from the ceiling. Long, red leather benches and individual chairs are all set around the main bar which produces drinks and coffee.
Steel pipes, yellow lights, white tiles to separate the tables from one other... As simple as it looks, the restaurant is beautiful.
There’s no menu here, there are Burgers and lobsters, that's all. A burger, a lobster roll and a giant lobster, those are your choices. All the plates come with a salad and fries on the side and they all cost £20: a burger, a lobster roll or a giant lobster, everything costs he same.
- Let's start with the lobster roll: The first impression was not too good. I had a roll the night before at Smack Lobster Deli, which came in a fresher bun, was crispier and had a more generous, tastier filling. This roll came in a chewy bun and was filled with a mix of lobster and mayonnaise that needs life and seasoning.
- The large lobster is the good part, the main item everyone orders. Cut in half, a large lobster is served as is and is ready to be devoured. Let's say it was good.
- As for the burger, it was a large heavy ball where the bun, a layer of lettuce, and a huge piece of meat were topped off with a tomato, pickles and red onions. That's not impressive at all: A super-thick, unpleasant slice of tomato, lots of crunchy lettuce, a load of sweet onion, thick pickles and the meat. The huge chunk of meat was definitely not of premium quality and was lacking in salt and pepper. Other than that, I believe it's too arty, with unpleasant veins of fat sliding under the teeth. Why would we need a 300 grams? Too much! The meat is not well combined together, and it goes into pieces before reaching your mouth. I would serve it without the condiments, make it a bit smaller, so it doesn’t overflow from the bun, and grill it more to have a more interesting flavor. The tomato! a disaster! A super thick slice of tomato that's overpowering on all other ingredients. That's not a burger worth £20. The fries were undercooked and could surely be crunchier.
The service... A disaster. Nobody smiles, the waiters are tired and don't take much care of their customers. Expect to ask for things more than once, and to wait.
Anyway, I imagined Burger&Lobster to be different... to be better.
