A couple of weeks ago I was invited to Just Lobsters in Norwich for a complementary meal via their twitter account. I brought James along with me as a paying customer. The restaurant is on Tombland in Norwich and is clearly visible by its bright red Samson and Hercules statues either side of the door. They even use Lobster font for the boards outside! The building previously used to be a nightclub that my parents remember as ‘Ritzy’s’ amongst other things and was built around 1656. Beneath the site there is said to be 5000 victims of the plague buried. Just Lobsters is the newest business to take hold of this building and I couldn’t wait to try it out.
We arrived at 7pm and were promptly seated by a friendly member of staff. We were offered the choice of 2 tables which was nice so we picked the bigger one so we could fit more food on the table! I wouldn’t say the restaurant was jam packed but there was a steady flow of people coming and going from the tables. The restaurant has been designed and decorated with great care and attention to detail There are lots of ‘lobster red’ colours and lobster themed artwork hanging around the room. Our drink orders were taken. I went for a frozen lemonade which was served in a mason jar style glass and James went for cranberry juice. Shortly after the waitress took our food order.
Having never had lobster before I was excited to try it. The menu is packed with tasty options ranging from just plain lobster to lobster rolls, steak and burgers. There is something for everyone, even those who aren’t too keen on the thought of lobster! Just before our main course were served the waitress asked if we wanted to wear a lobster bib. I love this little touch! I was happy to protect my clothing from any mess regardless of how silly I looked and besides, everyone else in the restaurant was wearing one.
The food arrived very quickly which was good as we were both hungry and could smell the delicious food cooking in the kitchen behind us. James went for the Surf and Turf – Just Lobster Style. This consisted of half a lobster and a juicy 8oz sirloin steak served with fries, salad and coleslaw. I must say it looked delicious and very filling. This is priced at £25 which I think is very reasonable. He said it was really nice and cooked to perfection.
I went for a dish called Lobsters & Crab Au Gratin. This was half a lobster stuffed with creamy crab claw meat and baked with breadcrumbs. This was served with chips and a corn on the cob. It was really delicious. Creamy is a good way to describe the filling and it all came served lovely and hot. The chips came in a silver bucket and were piping hot. Everything was really delicious. My only quibble was that as a complete newbie to the lobster thing I had no idea how to crack the claws or what you could or couldn’t eat. James just made it up as he went along and ate everything he could scrape out. I gave him my claw in the end too!
As we were paying the bill I briefly chatted to some of the chefs who were all very friendly and asked if we enjoyed the food. There was also a man walking around in a suit who I assume was the manager and he was chatting to some of the diners on the other tables. He told us that there is also a new bar section to the restaurant in another room serving cocktails. I had a quick peek in there and it seemed to be quite popular and somewhere I would like to visit again.
As previously mentioned, I was invited by the Just Lobsters Twitter account which isn’t actually run by the restaurant but a management company. This caused some confusion when it came to get the bill and an awkward moment of not wanting to tell them I was offered a free meal. I hate awkward situations like this and the manager had no idea I was coming. Despite all of this, it was all sorted in the end and as James was paying for his meal they even gave him a discount which I thought was nice. I think the fact they thought we were paying customers and not just there to review the food showed them in a truer light which was good. I didn’t receive special treatment to sway my review as they had no idea I was there for that reason.
Overall I had a really nice meal and James and I will definitely be going back. There are so many options on the menu that I want to try. What do you think of lobster?
We arrived at 7pm and were promptly seated by a friendly member of staff. We were offered the choice of 2 tables which was nice so we picked the bigger one so we could fit more food on the table! I wouldn’t say the restaurant was jam packed but there was a steady flow of people coming and going from the tables. The restaurant has been designed and decorated with great care and attention to detail There are lots of ‘lobster red’ colours and lobster themed artwork hanging around the room. Our drink orders were taken. I went for a frozen lemonade which was served in a mason jar style glass and James went for cranberry juice. Shortly after the waitress took our food order.
Having never had lobster before I was excited to try it. The menu is packed with tasty options ranging from just plain lobster to lobster rolls, steak and burgers. There is something for everyone, even those who aren’t too keen on the thought of lobster! Just before our main course were served the waitress asked if we wanted to wear a lobster bib. I love this little touch! I was happy to protect my clothing from any mess regardless of how silly I looked and besides, everyone else in the restaurant was wearing one.
The food arrived very quickly which was good as we were both hungry and could smell the delicious food cooking in the kitchen behind us. James went for the Surf and Turf – Just Lobster Style. This consisted of half a lobster and a juicy 8oz sirloin steak served with fries, salad and coleslaw. I must say it looked delicious and very filling. This is priced at £25 which I think is very reasonable. He said it was really nice and cooked to perfection.
I went for a dish called Lobsters & Crab Au Gratin. This was half a lobster stuffed with creamy crab claw meat and baked with breadcrumbs. This was served with chips and a corn on the cob. It was really delicious. Creamy is a good way to describe the filling and it all came served lovely and hot. The chips came in a silver bucket and were piping hot. Everything was really delicious. My only quibble was that as a complete newbie to the lobster thing I had no idea how to crack the claws or what you could or couldn’t eat. James just made it up as he went along and ate everything he could scrape out. I gave him my claw in the end too!
As we were paying the bill I briefly chatted to some of the chefs who were all very friendly and asked if we enjoyed the food. There was also a man walking around in a suit who I assume was the manager and he was chatting to some of the diners on the other tables. He told us that there is also a new bar section to the restaurant in another room serving cocktails. I had a quick peek in there and it seemed to be quite popular and somewhere I would like to visit again.
As previously mentioned, I was invited by the Just Lobsters Twitter account which isn’t actually run by the restaurant but a management company. This caused some confusion when it came to get the bill and an awkward moment of not wanting to tell them I was offered a free meal. I hate awkward situations like this and the manager had no idea I was coming. Despite all of this, it was all sorted in the end and as James was paying for his meal they even gave him a discount which I thought was nice. I think the fact they thought we were paying customers and not just there to review the food showed them in a truer light which was good. I didn’t receive special treatment to sway my review as they had no idea I was there for that reason.
Overall I had a really nice meal and James and I will definitely be going back. There are so many options on the menu that I want to try. What do you think of lobster?
*I received my meal free of charge in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and I was not influenced in any way.
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