Rock, Paper, Scissor, LOBSTER!

A few weeks back, a couple of my friends and I went to Rock Lobster Food Co. After hearing about their lobster tail garnish caesars and delectable lobster rolls I was sold! 

The restaurant is located at 110 Ossington Avenue and originally started as a pop-up restaurant. The restaurant partners with independent Canadian fisherman that offer ocean friendly, sustainable and fresh seafood options - an initiative I can definitely get behind. With the overwhelming success of the pop-up restaurant and at the Toronto Underground Food Market, owner Matt Dean Pettit decided to open shop. 


Here is my review of the restaurant (note, not all photos are my own and some are sourced from Toronto Life - it was my first week using my dslr and most of the photos didn't turn out):

The area has ample street parking that is offered at a reasonable price. And despite the restaurant not taking reservations, you can call ahead and ask them to gage restaurant traffic - they are friendly and do a pretty good job. 

The restaurant itself has an awesome ambiance the second you walk in. We went on a week night and luckily there were still a few tables open (early evening). The decor is fitting to theme and charming. The space has kitschy touches such as Lobster art and Canadian paraphernalia along with a beautiful display for their raw bar. 

We decided to start off the night with a round of their infamous lobster caesars, they ended up being quite lackluster. I was expecting more of a punch or spice with my caesar and unfortunately it tasted of a pre-packaged Caesar mix that just wasn't very good... On the plus side the lobster meat was well cooked and tasted incredibly fresh. Also, the steak spice on the rim was a  welcomed spin on the age old celery salt. 

Eventually we all moved onto the lobster cappucino which was a refreshing change from the typical lobster bisque (even though, I do love a good bisque - Soup Nutsy anyone?) The flavor profile was great but was more reminiscent of a mushroom cappuccino for me. The side bite of crostini topped with some lobster salad was absolutely delicious and made me look forward to my lobster roll. 

When our lobster rolls came, we took no time diving in. The overall general consensus was positive but unfortunately I did not feel the same. I am not sure if each batch is hand measured and mixed separately but the lobster salad I was tasting on my roll was much less flavorful than my crostini version and extremely heavy on the mayo! The bread itself was soft and buttery (awesome) but the way it was toasted (and for presentation purposes) left for only a little opening on the bread to hold the salad which made it extremely difficult and sloppy to eat... I would have much preferred a flat lying sandwich or an actual roll. The McClure's pickle was honestly the best thing on the plate and possibly the best pickle I've ever had! We also ordered a lobster poutine to share but unfortunately the restaurant had forgotten our order and by the time we figured it out, we were already pretty full!

Even looking at this picture makes me think back to how much more 'white tinted' our rolls were - I wanted to taste lobster, not mayo!

Lastly, we decided to end with the only dessert they offered, the Whale Tail - their version on the beloved Canadian classic, the Beaver Tail. The presentation was delightful and the additional sugar shaker was a nice touch! The actual flavor of the tail was okay and unfortunately it's consistency was similar to a cracker. I really missed the chewy elements of the classic beaver tail and really wish they didn't decide to make the tail so thin. Overall, it was quite anti-climatic. 

I'd give this restaurant 2 stars out of 5 - rewarding the average service, friendly pricing and cozy decor. Will I go again? Maybe to try some of their other dishes that involved steak (they looked amazing) but most likely not. I guess the hype isn't always what it's mean to be. 

Until next time,

Kelly