BURGER & LOBSTER | FOOD REVIEW
The Hayes, Cardiff. 029 2022 4044 / www.burgerandlobster.com
It has arrived, as we knew it would. Residing in the upper echelons of the old Habitat/Gas Building, the impressive open iron archways now house a restaurant, bar and seating area and an in-your-face fish tank.
Part of the Goodman steak chain, Burger & Lobster have continued the modern trend of applying two objects occasionally but not exclusively related in a dining concept: who can forget The Rat & Carrot? There is no printed menu: a blackboard by the entrance announces “Burger or lobster or lobster roll for £20”, that price including salad & chips. Cheery staff are eager to explain the concept in more detail once seated, and deliver well-rehearsed patter.
Imported Canadian live lobsters are held in tanks, and can be served steamed, grilled or in the form of a lobster roll. The burgers, all meat no sawdust, are delivered from a combination of grass-fed happy cows. Dessert is a choice of chocolate mousse or cheesecake, priced at £4 and served in plastic pots.
We shared a burger and a lobster and it arrived on two silver platters. I don’t actually know that many people who order lobster, or who genuinely like it, but the combo arrived cooked as promised: the lobster grilled, succulent and slightly charred, the burger fell apart, moist and tender.
At £20 per head plus wine (our bottle cost £23), I’m not sure it’s worth it, unless you have a particular penchant for lobster – you can get better burgers elsewhere and a lot cheaper. I did feel as if I was sat in a premium fast food outlet, using a very clever marketing ploy. Having said that, Burger & Lobster is tastefully designed and worth a visit, if only to sit at the bar and try one of the many cocktails. More importantly, the lobsters are despatched from this planet via a Crustastun machine, widely held to be the most humane way of killing them and endorsed by PETA. Perhaps not one for the veggies, but it does do exactly what it says on the tin.
words ANTONIA LEVAY
