If you find yourself peckish near Bond Street you can now head to Smack Lobster Roll Deli at 26 Binney Street for a speedy refill. Ten steps from Oxford Street this casual new eatery is the little sister of Burger & Lobster but specialises purely in lobster.
The menu is short and to the point. Lobster rolls, lobster chowder, 1lb lobsters – if you don’t like lobster then there are courgette fries but to be honest if you don’t like lobster you’re not really the target market.
Split over two levels the kitchen is open to scrutiny from the street. There are two seating areas, one on the ground floor and a larger one in the basement. Downstairs there’s an industrial vibe with windowless black and grey walls, exposed pipes, girders and wooden floors. Diners sit on stools in the reduced lighting, the narrow wooden tables suspended from the ceiling. Each dining place is spotlit from above to focus attention on the food.
This is served in paper cups with plastic cutlery so there’s not going to be much washing up. The main events are the lobster rolls. These are lightly fried brioche buns split and filled with lobster and salad. Sliced and served with the filling vertical, they have a buttery crunch, the lobster filling giving a contrasting softness. The Mexican version with Jalapeños is particularly memorable.
Thick courgette fries are deep fried, salty and give the brain a difficult should I-shouldn’t I calculation. They’re fried – but then they are vegetable, so maybe that’s OK? They have a crunch you can hear. The full-bodied chowder has a bright tangerine colour and lumps of lobster. The chilled lobster claws are served in meaty chunks but the only cutlery you’re given is a small skewer – making them hard to eat.
From one wall a mermaid stares out at the diners. The base of another wall is darkly printed with the Epicurian phrase Trahit sua quemque voluptas which seems a strange quotation for a restaurant that has one major ingredient.
With the beer displayed in a full-size ice bath and the wine in two stainless steel barrels the supply of alcohol is unlikely to run dry. Doing take away as well as eat in, Smack Lobster Roll Deli gives a fine twist on fast-food where you can get a fun and tasty light meal. Enjoyable.
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