When I was about six years old, I travelled with my family to Las Angeles, California. The late 1970s was a bit bleak in England, so for a young London lad, my amazement at everything being fabulous and shiny was palpable. One particular thing that I remember is that the swimming pool in the hotel we stayed at was enormous. Like many things, when one grows up one discovers that everything isn’t as it seems – having revisited the place in my 20s I found that the pool was a lap pool – so the size of a large postage stamp!
This largely sums up Burger and Lobster at the Raffles Arcade in Singapore’s Raffles Hotel on North Bridge Road. It is a shiny bastion of surf and turf in one of the world’s finest hotels.
I enjoyed the New York feel corner booth that we were seated in – this is a fine dining take on an all-American diner – sadly the first impression on walking in is somewhat antiseptic.
I was amused when asked if I wanted my martini shaken or stirred – I am not James Bond and a martini should apparently be stirred. So don’t ask! The negroni was excellent and served with a BIG ice cube. The cucumber mint smash was balanced, fresh and light…too drinkable, but slightly sweet with a fresh slightly sour aftertaste. There was nothing mind-blowing about any of it though – the house white was also nothing special and slightly astringent.
The Original Lobster Roll [$40] was OK and is nouvelle cuisine size. It contains chunks of lobster meat dressed in lemon mayo and served in a toasted brioche roll. There was a good contrast with the slightly chewy lobster and the sweet bun. An elegant brass stand enhanced my presentational eye.
I am always sceptical when western restaurants try to take on local favourites so when the Laksa Lobster [$70!] it was a a strange brown colour. It was fragrant and earthy – but seventy bucks for a bowl of laksa is seriously taking the piss, frankly.
The burger [$28] was again nothing special, but the tasty, tangy sauce complemented the juicy, rich burger — but then the chilli overwhelmed it all. Not really sure they can justify the price for this either.
There are some saving graces: the apple crumble was lava-hot and had a proper English crumble – although it would have been pretty dry without the vanilla sauce.
There are better places in town to experience surf and turf – although there are lunch specials which are quite compelling if you fancy a wildly expensive lunch. I was excited when I walked into Burger and Lobster at the Raffles Arcade – full of expectation, but upon closer inspection, it’s like the pool in LA – underwhelming.
