B.O.B. & Co.

I’ve been here 4 times now, and it’s one of the more interesting pop-​ups going on in London.
The décor is charming — it’s kitted out in a way remniscent of an old American garage; lots of amusing paraphernalia, wood, metal and brickwork wallpaper which would seem tacky elsewhere, but actually works here. Maybe it’s the slightly tongue-​in-​cheek feel, but I find it very relaxed and unpretentious.
Food is consistently excellent. They serve a mix of favourites from the food truck, along with a broader selection of seafood (and some non-​seafood) drawing loosely from American cuisine.
Lobster and crab rolls — great stuff. This is what Bob’s are known for. Excellent custom-​made brioche piled with lightly chilled and dressed shellfish. It’s simple and delicious. Fries are quite moreish — thin, crispy and well seasoned; nothing to write home about, but enjoyable for what I suspect are frozen/​pre-​prepped fries. For a pop-​up like this though, I wouldn’t expect house-​made fries … it can be a lot of fuss and effort given that their attention should be focused on the rest of the menu.
Grilled oysters — the only dish I’ve not been particularly bowled over by, but then I’m not the biggest fan of anything other than fried oysters. Briney. Oystery. Probably what I should’ve expected, to be fair.
Tuna tacos — this shit is tight. Sashimi-​grade tuna, chipotle and lime crema, crispy tacos and some other garnishing. It’s hands down one of the most invigorating mouthfuls of food I’ve had this year. It’s zesty, meaty (in that tuna-​like way) … a beautiful juxtaposition of textures and flavours. I never go without ordering a portion.
Corn chowder — very aggressively seasoned, maybe just on the brink of too much, but very tasty all the same. Pleasingly thick, chunks of corn and crab meat (if I recall correctly). A generously sized bowl. Definitely a big improvement on most of the insipid crap that passes for chowder in London.
Burger — it’s not really what you come for at a seafood pop-​up, but it’s an admirable burger. House-​blend courtesy of Ginger Pig with beef and smoked pig cheek. Cute brioche bun. Cooked just right. A very pleasing burger. Frankly, it could go toe-​to-​toe with a lot of the better burgers in London.
Caramelised Banana — the one dessert they’ve always got in supply. Brown sugar caramelised whole bananas in an espresso crème anglaise with banana bread and toasted maple brioche. It sounds complicated but is actually fairly pared-​down in execution … not too pretentious or haute-​cuisine. An enjoyable interplay of crunchiness (brioche and sugar), slight chewiness (banana bread) and softness (banana). A fine dessert, but put to shame by the glory that is …
Rice Pudding — Oh dear lord. Rice pudding. Plum compote. Simple. But divine. It’s been off-​menu (run out or technical problems in kitchen) on two of my visits, though absence makes the heart grow fonder. Beautifully rich and creamy vanilla flavours, rice with just enough al dente quality to ensure it isn’t over-​mushy. You can and should make room for this.
Wine is provided by Bedales, so there’s an excellent range of wines which are weighted towards the upper end of the budget, though their more modestly priced offerings are very good. Cocktails are generally sound — they’re always pleasant, but they’re not trying to beat the dizzying heights of 69 Colebrooke Row here. They use excellent quality base spirits, and that definitely gets them a thumbs-​up from me. Drink quality is improving as some of the newer team seem to be getting to grips with the bar-​side of things.
Service is always both warm and efficient. Good enthusiasm, care for what they’re doing, and everyone seems well-​adjusted. Exactly the kind of relaxed but welcoming service this place needs.
Prices aren’t cheap, but this is seafood, and the quality is high enough to justify the price-​tag.
Overall, very much worth a visit. I’ve brought a number of people here over the months and it’s always been a very enjoyable evening. I think it’s worth a trip even if you don’t work nearby.

So Bob’s Lobster van is always a popular stop at Borough Market, and they’ve expanded themselves into a small space above The Rising Sun (keep a careful eye on this, I hear there are 2 Rising Suns in this area.). They have an expanded menu of starters, along with off-​menu main items (I think it might change daily?). And they are now at both Borough Market, and roaming around other events.
Off menu items for the day were:
Lobster Roll w/​chips £16 (van sells it for £13, w/​o chips)
Crab Roll w chips £12.50
Mac n cheese £12.50
Beef Burger (mixed with pork cheek) w chips £10
It was recommended that we start off with about 3 starters, so we tried the following:
Grilled Oysters (£6 /​3 pieces) — served in the shell, I think it was baked with some type of mayo mix topped with cheese. I really think it could have stayed in the oven for a bit longer, as it was still quite watery and felt more on the raw side, and was a bit unpleasant.
Deep Fried Oysters (£6 /​3 pieces) — (panko?) crusted and deep fried, it was served on a shiso leaf (Japanese herb), and I love the flavour — this was a delicious dish overall. Don’t leave the leaf behind, make sure its wrapped around the oyster before you eat it! Overall a good dish, and while £6 is cheap, I do have to mention that the oysters are really tiny morsels. My 3 pieces ranged from the size of a £1-£2 coin.
Tuna Tacos (£9 /​3 pieces) — Still small but delicious as I remember them to be, nicely packed with diced tuna, this was my absolutely favourite of the starters. When I got them from the Borough Market van, I recall it being £8, which I already found pricey.
We shared the Lobster Roll main, and mac n cheese. The soft brioche bun was filled with a quarter pound of lobster meat, and I can’t remember how they dressed it (I think butter, house mayo with paprika and celery salt). The mac n cheese had nice chunks of lobster, and was topped with deep fried shallots. There’s no question about it, both were delicious!
Overall, I enjoyed the food (except the grilled oysters), but in the end I’m a bit torn on giving them 3 stars — especially since there’s so much love for them from past reviewers. The food, for the most part — IS delicious, but its pricey — its really hard to justify the value. I understand the increase in prices from moving into a pop up location (when it was previously only a van). I’ve seen pics and reviews from a few months ago from the launch, where the Lobster Roll was £15, but its now bumped to £16. The deep fried oysters were £7 for 5 pieces, but now £6 for 3 pieces. While the van prices are probably a bit cheaper, the Lobster Rolls are now £13 (no chips, which is fine), which I believe they were £10/£11 last year. And I’m sure they’ve had to tweak these things based on feedback and costs, but I was cringing a bit when paying for the bill. I have no issues paying for good food, but I was feeling the pinch when looking at the price /​size ratio.
For 2 people, we had 3 small starters and 2 mains and a dessert (bruleed banana with banana bread — tasty!), which came to £60. Service was good and attentive. Drinks cost around £45 (2 cocktails and a bottle of Savignon Blanc), pretty standard. I don’t know if I’d ever pay that price for starters again (though the deep fried oysters and tuna tacos are pretty damn good), but I may be hanging around the van instead if its gonna save me a few quid.
** Another thing to note — an honest mistake, I was overcharged by almost £60 (which was then fixed). In a rush to treat my friend, I quickly footed the £155 bill, thinking its a bit steep. We hung around to finish the wine, but I asked to double check the amount about an hour later. Everything is added on an iPhone calculator, which I think gives room for error. If there was a program/​app where you can select the item and the price is automatically input, then its easier to see what you’re paying for. But I DO realise its a popup, and its probably an unnecessary cost (for now), but just note — always double check your bill!

When I discovered that there was a new pop up lobster joint located in St Pauls, I was very keen to check it out as it has been very popular when it had a pop up site in London Bridge.
First I had the lobster mac and cheese, it was really quite something, as soon as it arrived on the table, all the beautiful aromas form the lobster just bursted into my face. It had good chucks of lobster meat, cooked at the perfect level. the stock for the lobster mac was sweet and savoury, simply seasoned and I just couldn’t get enough of it. Lobster roll on the other hand wasn’t as good as I was hoping for…