Phil Sampson discovers an oasis of fine dining in the boating Mecca of Cowes
SMOKING LOBSTER
Like many south coast boaters I’m a big fan of Cowes. However, I have to say that up until now I’ve often been underwhelmed with the food I’ve found on offer. Now, I’m pleased to report that’s all changed, for on the busier western side of town is an excellent restaurant named Smoking Lobster. Located at the point where the High Street becomes Shooters Hill, readers familiar with Cowes may remember the premises as Tiffins, which in its time was a perfectly acceptable café. And while the exterior doesn’t look too different today that’s where the similarities end, for Smoking Lobster’s fare is positioned very much towards the fine dining end of the culinary spectrum.
The restaurant describes its offering as “local island produce and seafood reimagined through a Pan-Asian lens”. Got that? Nor me, so I turned to manager Cinzia for an explanation. Cinzia co-owns the restaurant with her brother, known as GC. He runs the kitchen while his sister looks after front-of-house. “Our dad is Chinese and we’ve spent all our lives in the catering industry,” Cinzia says. “He contemporised traditional dishes, cooking them on the Aga, and we learnt from him – hence the Asian influence.” And what an influence it is, with starters such as yuzu miso black cod, and pickled and burnt cucumber with lobster and miso mayo. Moving onto the mains, and the restaurant’s menu goes into overdrive, with signature robata grilled lobster, lamb cutlets or steak featuring amidst a selection of attention-grabbing options including Isle of Wight crab noodles to vegan chilli glazed tofu with toasted sesame, black bean and vegetables. Boy, where to start...?
