Lobster and Burger

Here is a foodie quiz for you.  Name a restaurant that has no reservations, queues to sit down and a limited menu.  Tapas bars in Bilbao?  Seafood shacks on in West Mersea?

No, the ultimate in table turning tricks has now been applied to Mayfair in the form of Burger and Lobster, a (barely) converted pub, nos reservations, simple tables and chairs and an austerity aesthetic that no doubt sits well with local punters in these hardened times.  A barren single screen website with only address and a caricature, three mains courses, Lobster, Burger or Lobster Roll, each with Chips and all for the sum of £20 each.

The glamour and relatively low cost of a lobster and fries for two crisp tenners (I hesitate to use the word value in the context of crustaceans) is rather better value than the burger whose price outpaces that at  Hawksmoor, Automat, Goodmans (it is run by the owners of the last of these) and pretty much every other grand burger grillhouse.  The service is pleasant, whilst the lobster and burger are both generous and appropriately cooked.

This is not necessarily a cheap meal however once you bear in mind the amount of time you are likely to stay and the cost of drinks and extras. A pint of beer was a much more west end like £5.50  All that said, everyone loves a bargain, or at least the possibility of one.

As to advice, well arrive early or late, don't expect to linger too long as the atmosphere is a little frenetic, be aware the place will be full of large numbers of men, sat school dinner like with bibs round their necks and remember this is, at heart a diner, not a venue for dinner.