The Lobster Pound and Moore

The Lobster Pound and Moore

Smokehouse and Grill

161 Queen Street, North Sydney

Happy Seagull

Now before we enter this restaurant,

I want you to relax,

clear your mind,

breath in the soft harbour breezes.

Ready to sail away

Dream a little,

let your worries go.

The Why Didn't I Think of That Beach Glass Window

Now, we'll go in.


As you step in the first door, take a moment
and enjoy the beautiful Beach Glass Window
on your right.

It's just perfect, isn't it?

Okay, let's go right in.

The first thing you notice is that this is definitely not the Lobster Pound that you remember from years ago with the plastic on the tables and the teapots over the cash.

Uh uh.

Notice the warm woods and tones and the wall details - you're about to have  a whole new dining experience.



Before I show you what we chose for dinner, I have to stop to tell you that we were smiling and laughing within minutes of arrival. Why?  Because this restaurant has the very best waitresses - they were attentive, chatty, interested and interesting and more to the point, professional. Quite frankly, this is rare. We loved them all. Then The Chef came over to our table to talk to us about the dinner selections. He actually worked the room, making sure that everyone was happy with their meals, telling us all about the menu and the team in the kitchen that worked hard to make sure our meals were perfect.
Over our meal, we discussed kidnapping The Chef and keeping him in our basement (we would share him) and making him cook for us, which he would do happily.

Ready?  Let's look at what The Chef prepared for us.

Lobster Wontons with Frites & Green Salad with Maple Dressing

We had been warned about the appetizers served here - we had been warned that the servings are quite large.  So three of us split the Lobster Wontons.

What happened was that three of us got two each and two of us got three each.

Those are home-made frites, a green salad with lovely light dressing and yes, those are
wontons stuffed with a lobster filling.

Inside of Lobster Wontons

While you are noticing how wonderful the lobster filling is, take a moment to examine that pastry.

There are no angry pastry chefs in this restaurant - these chefs have talent to spare. That pastry is light, flaky, crispy even, with lots of flavour.

We could have ordered more, but we were thinking ahead.

Turkey Clubhouse with Homemade Fries

Let me first say that all the meals arrived quickly, at the same time, and hot.  You know how often one person is left to watch as everyone else begins to eat..."No, no, you go ahead, my meal will be here in a minute."

Well, there was none of that here.

Just look at this clubhouse and this is only one half - the other half is hiding behind on the other side of the plate. Amazing!

Smoked Salmon with Basmati Rice

This is actually smoked salmon - that's a crisp, dark, smoked crust and underneath you have a dry, melt-in-your-mouth slice of salmon.

Well, for those of us who love smoked salmon and who didn't order that item, it was Sharesees time.

I'd show you my side plate with my taste of this salmon dish, but there's nothing to show you.  Too yummy for words.

Smoked Ribs with Mac and Cheese

Believe it or not, we all ordered different dishes!

Here is the rib dish - underneath that smokey bbq sauce, the meat on the ribs is ready to fall off the bone.  Don't worry about making a mess with this dish; the ribs are juicy and tender and stay right where you want them to.

And see that Mac and Cheese?  Home made again.  All of us enjoyed the vegetables, served with a nice light dressing that complemented the meals.

Korean Grilled Ribeye Steak with Mashed Potatoes

BBQ Chicken Burger with Homemade Fries

Do you know what was amazing about this steak?  Not only was it cooked perfectly and as requested, but it was grilled evenly.  No matter where this steak was sliced, the bite was guaranteed to be tasty and juicy.

Is your mouth watering?  Mine is and I just ate here...but lucky me, I have leftovers!





Again, a lovely meal and a large serving.

We all realized that if we were going to be ordering a dessert, a decision would have to be made.

We were going to have to put our forks down and ask that our meals be wrapped up for us to take home.

There was no question of us leaving the restaurant without our left-overs and without trying the desserts.

Leftovers

Now, I ask you - don't you feel special when your leftovers are delivered to your table wrapped up as a swan?

Yes, those of us who ordered sandwiches left the restaurant with tinfoil swans stuffed full of sandwich and fries.

Those of us who ordered meals with sauces left with styrofoam containers, feeling just a bit jealous.


So now let's see what The Chef has suggested for Dessert!

Homemade Chocolate Ice Cream

It's been a long time since I've had home-made ice cream and quite frankly, I don't remember it tasting this good.

The Chef brought over a tray of tiny samples of chocolate ice cream for us to try WHILE we waited for our desserts to arrive.

We debated the added flavour and I think, and I could be wrong, that there was just a hint of hazelnut. It was rich, creamy and tasted like Seconds. What fun!

Baked Apple with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

My dessert was Heaven. Simply Heaven.  In fact, I would walk over hot coals for this Baked Apple dessert.

Do you see that sauce?  That sauce alone is worth the drive to North Sydney.

Now let me show you what The Chef has accomplished with this dish.

Please notice the inside of the Baked Apple.

Yes, the apple has been cored and sliced and cooked so tenderly that your spoon will just gently scoop up a mouthful.  The core has been replaced with a tasty cinnamon dressing.  While we're here, can I bring your attention back to the pastry?

Yes, the pastry chef has the hands of an angel...that pastry is everything you dream it is going to be and more.

Five Berry Dessert

This dessert was exquisite.  We know it was because the person who ordered it would only share a tiny bite and swore she would have ordered two servings if she had any room left.

This is the type of dessert where you have to dig your spoon right down to the bottom so that you get a taste of each of the layers.

And could you taste all the berries?  Yes, indeed, you could.



You know by now that we are a fussy bunch when it comes to our tea and the types of teapots used in restaurants. The LP&M solved this altogether by serving us brewed tea (delicious) in large ceramic mugs and then refilling our mugs as we made our way through our meal.  Oh, such service.

We agreed that this was the Best Outing Yet.  This restaurant has everything:
1)  a great Chef with talent and imagination and personality to the brim,
2)  a comfortable atmosphere in a small space; we had privacy yet felt part of a family gathering,
3)  and a great team. Not only was the food excellent, but so was the service.

We award The Lobster Pound and Moore top marks.

Oh yes, on the way out, The Chef's wife told us that we could kidnap him and keep him for the month of January.  The Chef told us to call him anytime after December 31st to make the arrangements and I am here to say that we are going to call him. So, if you're looking for a wonderful meal in January of 2014, inbox me and I'll give you directions to our basement.