After some missed chances at going to BLPH, the stars finally aligned last fall and boy was it worth the wait!
My Saucy Smash burger was a hot mess in all of the best ways, with two slices of American cheese, caramelized onions and house burger sauce. The two 4oz patties were too hefty to get a proper smashburger crust, but they still had a solid char to them and were nice and juicy!
The fries were hand-cut and thrice-cooked - they were just about fry perfection. No ketchup necessary!
My wife's chicken tacos were somewhere between Tex-Mex and traditional, but were solid tacos through and through. The cumin-forward shredded chicken was tender and juicy without being soggy and the option for corn tortillas was a nice touch.
It can't be *all* meat and carbs, and the tomato and bocconcini salad filled the gap quite nicely. The acidity of tomatoes plus salty fresh cheese is a well-known and winning pair, and pea shoots and mint brought further pops of flavour. I'm sure this dish must really sing when local tomatoes are actually in season!
Pubs aren't typically known for their desserts, but Blue Lobster knocked it out of the park with their ice cream sandwich and made-to-order churros. My sticky toffee pudding was also amazing, so much so that I forgot to take a pic
Many bonus points for the indoor cornhole and ring toss games which helped keep the kids (and some of us adults) entertained.
On a return visit, I had the haddock po boy. The fish-to-bun ratio was comedically disproportionate, with the large piece of fried fish looking like it was just in a hot dog bun. While I did appreciate the size of the fish, I was wanting a sandwich, and mouthfuls of only fish threw off the balance with the other ingredients.
The fish had a nice and crisp beer batter, while the fish itself was somewhere in between flakey perfection and soggy mess, with a slight lean towards the better end of that spectrum. A red cabbage slaw added some creaminess, while proported microgreens either weren't there or disappeared in the aforementioned balance issues.
A side garden salad brought some much needed veg to my meal, and a citrusy vinaigrette brightened up an otherwise standard salad.
Service has always been easy going and helpful.
Blue Lobster Public House has single handedly raised the bar for pub food and amenities in Pictou County and beyond, and with some refinements they can become a provincial destination in their own right. read more