Burger and Lobster in Soho

A few weeks ago I was celebrating my birthday and we decided to go to one of my favourite places in London to eat - Burger and Lobster in Soho.  Once you arrive and tell the assistant how many people are in your party, you are then told how long your wait is likely to be - in our case we were told 20 minutes, only to be given a table 10 minutes later! You can be waiting much longer than we did depending on the time of day you arrive and in order to get your table, everyone must be present.

The drinks menu is much more in-depth than the actual food menu, so make sure you take time to have a good look at what you might want to drink, they have everything from cocktails to beer and even soft drinks.  Steve on this occasion opted for Brooklyn Lager and myself Aspall Suffolk Cider - yum!

When it comes to the food option there is essentially two choices - Lobster as a whole or Lobster roll or Burger and for me this is fantastic, no faffing over what I do and do not want, the choice is easy everytime - Lobster!  So we both opted for Lobster which was grilled and on the side it would come with garlic butter, the other options are to have it steamed and come with a lemon and herb sauce or just plain butter.  Add to that a garden salad and fries and you have what I consider to be meal perfection!  

Whichever option you order the price is £20 plus your drinks and that is an absolute bargain and one that leaves you feeling really full and a meal enjoyed.

The food is exceptional and for me worth the hype of going.  The Lobster was perfectly cooked, it was moist and didn't really need anything adding to it, but the garlic butter was more than delightful.  The lobster is helpfully cut in half to allow easy access to the meat, but there is still fun to be had when it comes to removing the meat within the claws and it takes just a small bit of pressure to release it or the use of some crackers to help you.  The salad is also really fresh tasting and crunchy where it should be with an addition of parmasan cheese and balsamic vinegar to give it something extra.  Finally the fries which are not greasy but salted to perfection are tasty and you get just the right amount.

I have been to Burger and Lobster twice now and have always found the service to be warm and friendly, everything is explained to you as you are shown to your seat and nothing is too much trouble. If you have never had lobster before, there is always someone on hand yo go through your options with you. The first time I visited Burger and Lobster I was quite interested in how it all worked and was told that the Lobsters were delivered on a daily basis and cooked to order exceptional, everyone we spoke to was friendly, warm and informative without being overbearing. My friend was feeling inquisitive and wanted to know more about the lobsters, if they were fresh and when they were brought in – note, the lobsters are brought in on a daily basis and cooked to order.

If you are looking for somewhere a little bit exquisite and a little bit different, I would urge you to try Burger and Lobster, there are six different restaurants here in London which can be found on their website HERE.

Have you ever been to Burger and Lobster?  Have you been anywhere similar? Have you ever had Lobster?

Kitchin N1 - Restaurant Review

Last week I accompanied BeautykingUK my better half to Kitchin N1, a restaurant in Kings Cross to review it.  Describing itself as "Deliciously fresh - buffet at its best" I had only ever walked passed it on my way to other blogger events, never venturing in.

Taking recipes from India, China, Italy and Thailand the restaurant centres itself around a theatre style cooking island, giving you the diner an opportunity to watch the chefs in action whilst they cook and prepare food.

Entering the restaurant, we were shown to a table and handed a drinks menu which had something for everyone, whether you like your wine, champagne, cocktails, beer or soft drinks, every need is catered for.  The joy of doing a restaurant review allows you to have the attention of the manager for some of the time to throw questions at him, nothing was too much for any of the staff and as we got to grips with how everything worked, I couldn't help but notice the number of people who came in, had their meals and left.

When you go to Kitchin N1, you have your table for around 1.5 hours, 2 hours at the most and as it is buffet style, essentially you can eat as much as you like, but be warned, if you waste excess food, you will be charged for it, something I think is a good idea because I hate people wasting food.  

Their is a choice of cold or hot starters and your choices include Greek Salads, houmous, opinion rings, Sushi, onion Bhaji, prawn toast, soups and many many more, you simply go up, take a plate and choose whatever you fancy eating.

These are just some of the starters and main dishes that we made our way through.  Each dish tasted freshly cooked, if it was meant to be hot it was and likewise if it should have been cold it was.  There was nothing I disliked or wouldn't have eaten again.

When it came to trying the mains which were on offer, again there is something for everyone, whether you want it cooked in front of you from the Wok station to make your own stir fry or from the grill station where an option of meats will be presented to you and cooked for you to your liking.  Choices of mains again include dishes such as Pizza of the day, curries such as Rogan Josh, Kormas, Thai Green Curry, italian pastas, chow miens, prawn dishes and rice or noddles.

The final test if all of that hadn't been enough to try is the dessert menu!  By this point, both Steve and I had been feeling pretty full, but felt it rude not to try a few of the options on offer, well as soon as I saw rice pudding and a chocolate foundation, I was never not going to have pudding.

Again there are many different options to choose from including very delicate little cakes such as coffee cake, chocolate cake, apple crumble, creme brulee, chocolate fountain with marshmallows and possibly the most exciting thing is the ice-cream machine to pour your own Mr Whippy looking ice cream which I had made some room for, would have had.

There is also a bit of theme for Kitchin N1 at the weekend.  On Friday, Saturdays & Sundays there is a selection of fresh seafood, including Prawns and Mussels as well as certain fish dishes. On Saturday evenings they serve crispy Duck, spring onion, sarded cucumber, hoisin sauce & pancakes and on Sundays there is a full roast!

Price wise, well lunch will cost just £7.99 and dinner in the evening £14.99 with a slight variation at the weekend, all of which can be found on the Kitchin website and to make life easier, you can book your table online too, a straightforward easy to follow form and it is all done for you.

For a restaurant which is hidden away from the bustling streets of Kings Cross on Caledonia Road, it is one which is worth going to find.  The food is exceptionally lovely, there is something for everyone and the experience is something i had never experienced before. From salads which are fresh and crunchy, to meat that is cooked to your liking and hot, curries which are as tasty as they are from your local Indian and desserts which melt in your mouth, it is not somewhere that will break the bank to enjoy good quality cooked food.  If you are out and about in Kings Cross and are looking for something a little bit different, I urge you to give Kitchin N1 a chance, it is worth every mouthful.