Last weekend was brilliant! My lovely parents made the 90 minute drive to come and spend the weekend with Eleanor and I. I miss them so much when I don’t see them, so it was lovely to have them here. To celebrate, we booked in to The Lobster Pot on Mansfield Road for Saturday evening dinner. I have heard time and again from many different people how lovely it is here that I have been dying to go. I will always choose seafood over meat at a restaurant and was so excited to try it. There are two restaurants, the Mansfield Road one, and also one in Beeston on Villa Street.

First Impressions

The restaurant is gorgeous. Large front windows let in a lot of light, and the white walls and minimal decoration leave it feeling clean and spacious. There are about 12 tables in the restaurant and it is nice and intimate. The staff welcomed us heartily and sat us by the window. As we ordered G&Ts all round, complimentary fresh tiger bread and butter was placed in front of us – great touch. The menu has a Thai spin on traditional seafood dishes, and you know how much I like Thai food right?

Starters

Eleanor went for the Spiced Thai Fish Cakelets, served with a sauce of chilli and nuts. The sauce was a little too piquant for me, but the fish cakes were gorgeous. Soft and chewy just like on the streets of Bangkok, these were a real winner.

My Dad went for the Homemade Crab Bites served with a sweet chilli mayonnaise. They were piping hot and crisp on the outside with a soft inner. Delicious!

My Mum went for Moules Marinière, steamed in a white wine and cream sauce. I didn’t try these as I don’t like creamy sauces but the look on Mum’s face as she finished said that it was very enjoyable. The portion was huge too for a starter!

I went for the Scottish Oysters Grilled with Garlic Butter and Breadcrumbs. Now at £7.95 for 3 of the little buggers they weren’t cheap. I opted for cooked as a few years ago I ate a raw one. It took me about 10 minutes to swallow it without chewing and I vowed never again. However, cooked oysters were a revelation. They were so succulent and covered in garlic. The breadcrumbs gave them a different texture and although I expected them to be slimy and salty, they were the opposite. We shared all of the starters and the oysters were so nice that we ordered another 6 after dinner!

Main Courses

For main Eleanor went for the mussels steamed in a Thai Green Curry. Again the portion was huge and the flavour in these was incredible. The mussels soaked up the rich spicy flavour of the curry and the chips that accompanied it were hot and delicious.

Dad went for the whole grilled lobster with garlic sauce, and a side of chips. The lobster was beautifully presented and seasoned perfectly. There was lashings of garlic butter over it. I kinda wish I ordered this!

Mum went for the King Scallops Pan-Fried in Garlic Butter, Balsamic Vinegar and a White Wine Sauce. Oh my god these were amazing. 4 huuuuuge meaty scallops, perfectly cooked and plenty of sauce. The portion was actually a little too big for mum and I finished them off with delight. She has a huge side salad to accompany it.

I ordered the half cold lobster served with a homemade spicy seafood sauce. The sauce nearly blew my head off! It was so spicy! I need to get better at dealing with heat. The lobster was exquisite. There was plenty of meat but I had forgotten how hard it was to extract from the claws. I swear at one point it was like the snail scene from Pretty Woman! I would definitely order this again but I would probably go for a whole lobster next time. I had the fried sliced new potatoes which were the only downside to the whole meal. I like my sliced potatoes really crispy and unfortunately these were too soggy. I would go for chips next time.

Overall

Overall the food was sensational. The price point is surprisingly good with most mains in the region of £12-£15. The service was brilliant, the manager made a special effort to chat with us and the wait staff were quick to get drinks over and after I asked to reuse our straws, they stopped putting them in fresh drinks. I would go back here time and time again and try everything on the menu. There wasn’t a bad dish among what we ordered and I now know why everyone raves about The Lobster Pot. Thank you for looking after us all so well, see you soon!

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