Bargain! Lobster, chips and salad for £20

So this place has been open since the summer so I’m a bit slow on the uptake… although I have never professed to be a foodies’ website! I eat out often and when it’s good, I blog about it. So anyway, after months of buzz and hearing good things from friends, I finally went to the Soho branch of Burger and Lobster.

Cheers! Summer in the City (left) and a Mint Collins

This small chain started off in Mayfair’s Clarges Street, with the second branch opening in Soho in July and the latest to open in Farringdon. The restaurant is unique in it’s incredibly simple menu. One set price of £20, with a choice of either gourmet burger, lobster or lobster roll. As much as I love a burger, finding affordable lobster is near to impossible in London and at £20 is amazing value so I knew I was only going to order one thing.

As the restaurant is still very ‘hot’ on the capital’s dining scene, we expected a wait at the Soho branch. However, there is an extensive bar area with unique cocktails to keep you entertained while you wait. My sister and I visited on a rainy Monday night in November and were told 40 minutes waiting for a table, but then it was actually only 20 minutes when we were seated which wasn’t bad at all.

While we waited, we pulled up a seat at the bar and ordered a Mint Collins (Havana Club rum, lime, unrefined sugar syrup, mint and soda) and a Summer in the City (Absolut Citron, strawberries, pomegranate, elderflower and rose) at £9.50 each. While the Mint Collins was very reminiscent of a refreshing Mojito, the Summer of the City was a fruity delight, a welcome reminder of summer on a dismal cold winter night.

Bustling: The busy restaurant has a large bar area serving cocktails, beer and wine while you wait

The restaurant itself is a natural, diner-style setting, with natural wood panelling, red seating and exposed brick. The lighting was fairly low, which gave the space a relaxed, nighttime feel. After being shown to our seats, we were given a choice of lobster, burger or lobster roll. As these are the only things on the menu, there is no actual paper menu to peruse, just look at the other diners’ dishes for inspiration. The waiters give you the options of grilled or steamed lobster and a choice of sauce. As we can eat a burger any time, we both opted for the lobster, grilled with garlic butter. The lobster was served with a sustainable portion of chips and salad. You were also given the option of a plastic bib, although it wasn’t half as messy as we expected because the lobster had been cracked in places to make it easier to get into.

Overall, the lobster was delicious and amazing value at £20. The garlic butter sauce drizzled over the lobster was very tasty indeed. We found the service friendly and fast, both at the bar and restaurant. Am now tempted to try the Mayfair and Farringdon branch, but the Soho one was definitely a winner for me.

• Burger and Lobster Soho, 36 Dean Street, London W1D 4PS. Nearest station: Tottenham Court Road, Piccadilly Circus, Leicester Square or Oxford Circus.

New addition to the Soho dining scene: Burger & Lobster in Dean Street

For contents of all Metro Girl’s bar and restaurant reviews, visit our reviews page.