The Lobster Club, NYC

The Brasserie opened underneath The Four Seasons restaurant in the Seagram Building when I was still in college. I used to go there often on visits to NYC as it was open 24 hours a day; had good, moderately priced cuisine and was friendly to solo dining. The two restaurants closed at the end of 2015. The Grill and The Pool have now occupied the old Four Seasons space. The Lobster Club opened down below at the start of 2018. Blair and I went for lunch on December 4, 2018.

The lower front room has been done up in a somewhat garish style.

We were seated at the far end of the back room where it was quiet.

As I arrived first and was feeling adventurous and ready to relax, I ordered a Cucumber Shiso Gimlet, made with gin, cucumber, shiso and lime.

It was good, like boozy candy.

The Lobster Club describes itself as a “Japanese Brasserie.” The large menu says “All items are intended to be shared and are served when ready.” After Blair arrived right on time, we made our food choices and ordered a bottle of 2014 Saint Innocent Pinot Noir. Good and appropriate for all cuisines.

Our first dish was
COCONUT ROCK SHRIMP

The deep frying brought out the shrimp flavor, which was enhanced by the grated coconut and the dipping sauce. 

LOBSTER DUMPLINGS

The lobster flavor was captured by the thin steamed dough and helped subtly by the cooked scallion shards underneath.

PORK GYOZA

The pork was really luscious and appropriately spiced. The dumplings had a crisp side from their frying. Very good. 

CRISPY SQUID

The calamari rings were heavily battered, which dominated them. We mostly tasted the mustardy sauce. 

STEAMED PEA SHOOTS

The pea greens were more mature than what I had expected, but they were a nice combination with the sesame and provided some needed green on top of the rich previous dishes. 

CHARRED SHISHITO PEPPERS

These were not charred at all and were a soggy disappointment. Boo. 

WAGYU SHIITAKE RICE

This was okay, but I was hoping for more interest from the upscale ingredients.

We enjoyed our lunch, especially the early dishes. The kitchen is trying to do too many things with too many ingredients. The menu is really large and varied. It is hard to maintain consistant quality like that, but there are highlights and we hit on some of them. The service was friendly, helpful and efficient. The pace was good and the noise level okay. 

https://thelobsterclub.com/about.html