Londoner About Town At Big Easy (King's Road)

It was while G and I sat in the alley of Hashem's al fresco restaurant savouring our last moments in Jordan and the wonderful falafel on offer that I first expressed my doubts to G.  Three weeks earlier she had arranged to move flat on the Bank Holiday Monday we arrived back into London after our tour of Jordan.  At the time it had seemed like a good idea.  I mean, who wouldn't see the logic of moving while still relaxed from a wonderful holiday when the date of moving is far away on some distant horizon.

My reservations deepened as the departure board refreshed to reveal that our Easyjet flight would be delayed.  I was plotting my revolt when we finally boarded the plane only to discover that a screaming toddler would be providing the soundtrack throughout our return to England rendering sleep an impossibility.

As we snuggled down into the comforting embrace of my bed (is there anything better than sleeping in your own bed made with fresh, crisp sheets after a long holiday?) listening to the dawn chorus (admittedly featuring one or two birds, but for the most part, in my neck of the woods, various piercing sirens) I had no intention of an early rise to trek to G's new flat.  It would seem as though G knows me well, however, as she casually mentioned, "Thank you for offering to help tomorrow.  How about I treat you to lobster afterwards?"  Well, who am I to refuse lobster from a damsel in distress?

Thus, we found ourselves in the King's Road branch of Big Easy on a Bank Holiday Monday tired and hungry following a day of lifting boxes and rearranging furniture to ensure that the bedroom had the feng shui G desired.

As we walked inside the restaurant it quickly became apparent that the restaurant's stylists have gone for twee-Americana and then added an extra dollop for good measure.  The gloomy dark wood, road signs and blues theme tune are designed to conjure up a Deep South restaurant that probably only exists in some executive's fantasy.

The restaurant was heaving and we were told that there would be an hour and a half wait for a table.  Softening this blow, we were told that it was happy hour at the bar.  We therefore ensconced ourselves at the bar, ordered a jug of margarita (£29.50) (receiving a second free) and set to work.

Cocktails are dispensed from Slush Puppy-style machines and those more innocent drinks of my childhood should have warned me of the dangers of drinking too quickly.  Making the schoolboy error of taking a deep, refreshing sip I then had to deal with the tear inducing brain freeze!

Seated after a mere 45 minutes, G and I were hungry nonetheless and ordered a 2lb lobster (served with chips, a salad and a free drink) and a portion of 500% Extra Meaty St Louis belly ribs (served with BBQ beans and coleslaw) (£16.95).  Unfortunately, our waitress told us that there were no 2lb lobsters left in the tank; we would either have to downsize to 1 1/2lb or loosen our belts and tackle a 3lb behemoth (£35).  Never ones to shy from a challenge, we opted for the latter.

Our order placed, G and I then sat savouring the appetising smells wafting past us on silver trays whilst sipping on our cocktails.

When they arrived, our ribs lived up to their billing.  Three meaty ribs were layered on the salver and had a deep and dark crust to them and a glorious saliva-inducing aroma.  The meat was falling away from the bone and I eagerly tucked in; however, for me, the salt and spice crust was too much of a token gesture to BBQ-ing and the smoking process hadn't properly permeated the meat leaving it dry and flavourless.  The ribs were heavily reliant on the sauce served alongside to lubricate the dish.  (For truly excellent ribs check out BBQWhiskyBeer.)  The accompanying dishes were hit and miss.  On their own, the BBQ beans were a delight with a rich and deep smoky flavour coming from the nuggets of, I presume, burnt ends that had been used to flavour them.  Served alongside a portion of ribs gaining their BBQ flavour from the sauce they failed to complement the dish and instead slapped you around the face to remind you the style of cuisine you were eating.  The coleslaw lacked any real crunch and needed a more vinegary punch to cut through the pork.

The 3lb lobster was steamed and the meat was sweet and tender as you would expect.  Served with a garlic butter it was decadence at its best; although, I still feel Burger and Lobster's offer to finish their lobsters on the grill imparts a smoky char that offers a welcome additional layer of flavour.  The chips were chunky and had a real crunchy bite to them encasing a pillowy soft inside.  On the other hand, the salad had clearly been dressed earlier in the service and then sat under a hot lamp rendering it a mess of limp leaves.

The size of the portions cannot be faulted and G was happy to snaffle the left over ribs and asked for them to be boxed up for a future dinner.

When our delightful waitress asked whether we wanted to see the dessert menu, however, we found a new lease of life.  We both knew that, with our next beach holiday not until the end of the summer, now is the time to indulge.  Big Easy's desserts are hand-made in Cornwall and the list includes such classics baked cheesecake and sticky toffee pudding, but I have never been able to resist the siren-call of chocolate fudge cake.

I have been known to serve large portions, but even I was taken aback by the door stopper sized wedge of cake that arrived served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a scattering of crushed biscuits.  Chocolate fudge cake has the risk of being heavy and a chore after anything more than four bites, but Big Easy is worth a visit if only to sample a gloriously light sponge with just enough rich, gooey sauce to confirm that this was a treat.  G declared it the best chocolate fudge cake she has ever had in a restaurant.  High praise indeed.

Sated, we wandered home to once again enjoy the comforting embrace of freshly laundered sheets.  A success of a Bank Holiday then; we would certainly visit again for affordable lobster and indulgent desserts.