The Lobster Pot

If you live in Nottingham or visit it often, when you think of a seafood restaurant you probably think of Loch Fyne. You probably shouldn’t. Take a wander up Mansfield Road, or probably better still, hop on a bus or jump in a cab, as The Lobster Pot is quite a way up. It is worth going out of your way for though.
This small restaurant in my opinion is the best fish /​seafood place in the city (not that there are many to choose from), and it is a shame that it isn’t closer to the city centre. Still, if it were, then the prices would probably be higher to cover higher overheads on property. I am a big fan of mussels, and this place does them wonderfully. Their menu has a good choice of fish and shellfish dishes and a small selection of meat dishes in case anybody in your party isn’t keen on seafood. As far as I know though, there aren’t any vegetarian options… at least, there weren’t the last time I checked their menu online. Some of the dishes have an oriental bent, such as the thai fishcakes, prawn spring rolls and sesame prawn toast starters, but there are plenty of ‘regular’ seafood dishes.
My personal favourites at this place are the smoked haddock chowder as a starter, a hearty, creamy soup which is quite filling in itself, filled with chunks of smoked fish and potato as it is. I then like to have a main course of mussels, usually the ones steamed in chilli and basil, although the more traditional Moules Marinieres are also great. A side dish of french fries goes wonderfully with them. I also sometimes indulge in a couple of fresh oysters, which can be bought individually. Two of these with a splash of tabasco sauce are enough for me as I find them quite rich, I could never eat a full portion as a main course. Various forms of salmon are well represented on the menu, although I have never sampled them myself. There is usually a specials board on display, giving options that don’t appear on the regular menu.
The restaurant boasts some very reasonably priced wines, with a bottle of house wine costing just under ten pounds, and plenty of others around 11 and 12 pounds. As this is a small place, I would suggest calling to book, especially at weekends and in the Christmas period. Another point in this place’s favour is that during the festive period, they keep their regular menu on, instead of forcing a «special» Christmas menu upon you as many restaurants seem to.
With the price of different fish and seafood varying so much, it is hard to give an average cost for a meal here, however I do believe with this place that you get what you pay for, and i’ve never found myself feeling bad about the money i’ve put down. Seriously, if you are serious about seafood, forget about Loch Fyne. The Lobster Pot wins, claws down!