COCONUTS HOT SPOT — We had been looking forward to trying Burger & Lobster since it opened in September. After seeing dozens of friends check in on social media, wearing silly plastic lobster bibs and posing with expensive red crustaceans, we were excited as we walked through the doors on a recent Saturday afternoon.
Though the place has enough atmosphere to let you forget you’re in a mall, and the staff is competent and confident, the food and drink failed to hit their marks.
After visiting The Lobster Lab in Thong Lor’s The Commons recently and being highly impressed, we expected to have an even better experience at Burger & Lobster since the London-based chain charges more and has that high-recognition, hi-so name.
As you walk through the massive wooden doors, you’re greeted with old soul music, lobster pop art on the walls, red leather booths, and smiling staff.
We started off with a few signature cocktails.
The Thai Affairs (THB390) arrived in a comely copper cup, featuring a mountain of crushed ice, kaffir lime leaves, and a chopped Reese’s peanut butter cup on top. The menu says that it features Evan Williams bourbon, Campari, honeyed green tea, mint, and chocolate bitters. However, it just tasted like bourbon on the rocks. For that reason, we let it sit for about 45 minutes while we ate. Towards the end of the meal, it had mellowed and become a bit more drinkable. However, we never would have let it sit that long if it tasted better.
We also ordered Drakes Gold (THB340), which came with a dried plum atop and a sugarcane stalk wedged inside. We were drawn to this recipe since it contained Choya umeshu and were hoping for something sour and refreshing. The rest of the ingredients included Diplomatico white rum, lime, mint, apple liqueur, and Angostura bitters. It was pretty tasty.
For food, we kept it simple and tried the classics — a burger and a lobster roll. Both were served with a cup of overly salty — but also hot and crispy — shoestring fries and a small salad.
As is the trend these days, the original beef burger (THB750) was served on a brioche bun. The 6-ounce patty was accompanied by chopped iceberg lettuce, tomato slices, subtle-but-delicious homemade pickles, and secret sauce.
The brioche was rich and buttery and the burger was cooked perfectly at medium-rare. However, the meat was very juicy but without much flavor (other than salt) and the whole thing was falling apart within a few minutes of arriving at the table. My dining partner wished the iceberg lettuce had been full leaves instead of chopped that could they have better protected the delicate bun from the juicy meat.
For lobster rolls, we chose the avocado roll (THB950). It was described as chilled lobster meat in creamy avocado mayo with sliced cucumber and cherry tomatoes. Weirdly, aside from a buttery flavor from the bread, the sandwich had no discernible taste at all.
After squeezing a wedge of lemon that was on the plate over the sandwich, it really just tasted like lemon. Lobster does have a subtle flavor, as does avocado but, frankly, we were expecting something a bit more wowing.
Perhaps our expectations were just too high for this high-end sandwich chain.
FIND IT:
Burger & Lobster
Gaysorn Village Mall, Ground Floor
Open daily, 11am-10pm
BTS Chidlom
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