LOBSTER is the hottest crustacean in town as we see more restaurants popping up selling lobster rolls. When Platypus Lobster Shack opened one year ago, they had no clue that it would catch on. Now, this place is fully booked on weekends and crowded on weekday nights.

What is a Lobster roll? Well picture this – Butter poached lobster tossed in creamy flavourful sauces then stuffed into a perfectly grilled soft bun. It isn’t something new in the market actually. In fact, in the 19th century, the New England hostesses had already come up with lobster roll when she thought the consumption of a whole lobster was a bit messy for elegant dinner parties.

My friends and I visited Platypus Lobster Shack at China Square for dinner a few weeks back. This place has an interesting concept. It is a lunch bar in the day and morphs into a lobster shack at night. We started with appetizer – Crustacean Bowl ($19), a pretty mess of uni creme, butter-poached lobster, Japonica rice, honey ponzu, caviar, char-grilled cheddar cheese, sesame and chervil. It feels like a party in my mouth as I took a spoonful of it.

Urchin and lobster is their specialty and when both of them comes together, it is always a burst of flavours. Urchin & Lobster Bisque ($16) features roasted lobster & urchin broth with double cream and Maris Piper potatoes. Very hearty bowl of soup.

Now here comes the star! Platypus Lobster Shack only serve East-Coast style lobster rolls for dinner. The lobster rolls are available in 9 different variations – The Traditional, The Modern, Sun-Dried Tomatoes, Smoked Paprika, Spicy Diablo, Spicy Roasted Garlic, Red Miso & Sesame Uni Roll, and Lemon & Piquant Garlic – and they are all traditionally prepared in a rather New York ish Style. Each lobster roll only costs $19 and you can order a set, which comes with truffle crisps and a side salad, for $22.

What makes a lobster roll so good?
Quality Lobster meat – Check! Fresh imported lobster from Boston
Perfectly grilled bun – Check! with brown butter
Flavourful sauces – Check! Nine different flavours

Platypus Lobster Shack take pride in their lobsters and use every single ounce of meat, even if it means painstakingly removing the meat from the small legs! Also, they believe in buying sustainable produce so they only buy lobsters under 1.75 lbs (0.8kg).

We first had The Traditional Lobster Roll and The Modern Lobster Roll. The former is served with roasted-garlic mayonnaise, chives, sea salt; while the latter comes with hollandaise, marinated garlic, lemon zestt, chillies, Grana Boni cheese and chervil. Honestly speaking, the griddled bun really makes a huge difference. The light crunch from the bread complemented with the tenderness of the lobster meat.

My favourite is the Spicy Roasted Garlic lobster roll with butter-poached lobster meat, roasted garlic flakes, mayonnaise, chilli and garlic. Rich garlicky butter flavours really do lift the sweetness of the meat.

You can pimp your roll with additional items like lumpfish caviar ($4), Japanese tobiko ($4), burnt cheddar ($4), shaved summer truffles ($5), sea urchin creme ($7) or simply double lobster meat ($15).

Save some space for desserts! Their Caramel Croissant Pudding ($9) has been getting rave reviews because they lovingly make them from freshly baked croissants and serve it with a luxurious vanilla bean sauce. End your night with a glass of sangria. I like the Sangria Lychee Rosso ($19) with red sangria, sangiovese, lychee, bouquet garni and citrus fruits.

Imagine this, you work late in the office and was craving for some comforting dinner. Then in front you, there is a crispy hot grilled bun filled with premium lobster and flavourful sauce. It’s so hard to resist! Simple food made simply is the most soul-satisfying of all. Reservations are allowed so better to give them a call especially on weekends.

If you can’t book a seat at Lobster Shack, good news is, they are launching a limited selection of their lobster rolls for lunch and dinner at the Bugis Junction outlet. They are also making some great changes to the outlet at Bugis junction, including kick-ass lunch sets and ladies lunch meals.

Lobster Shack

Address: China Square, 3 Pickering Street, Nankin Row 01-31
Tel: 6438 7961
Opening Hours: 6 to 10pm (Monday to Thursday), 6 to 11pm (Friday to Saturday), closed on Sunday

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