The lobster at Scott’s in Mayfair costs £39.50. Scott’s is very posh, the
service is excellent and you have a choice: grilled or thermidor. But you’d
hope so, wouldn’t you, for £39.50? You’ll pay less than half that in the
smarter eateries of New England, where the super-strength pound is making
the high life very affordable indeed. But that’s not where people in the
know go. Oh no, for the best lobster, I’m afraid you’re going to have to
rough it. Where we’re going, thermidor is not an option.
On a country road on the outskirts of Cape Porpoise, Maine, there’s what can
only be described as a shack. Optimists would call it a cabin, but trust me,
it’s a shack. Even if you happened to be on this road, which is unlikely,
you would probably just keep on driving.
Big mistake. This is Nunan’s Lobster Hut and it serves the sweetest, juiciest,
freshest lobster on either side of the Atlantic. And because it’s a shack,
you pay shack prices. It is, as they say on this side of the pond, a steal
(although I doubt the lobsters see it that way).
I found this place a bit like the Famous Five find the entrance to the
smuggler’s cave. I heard people whispering, followed them and suddenly I had
discovered the treasure. And I’ve been going back ever since, just like John
Travolta. He’s a fan.
My last visit was the best. Harriet and I found a table down the back, were
warmly welcomed by the waitress and started to cast our eyes over the menu,
relishing the thought of another crustacean feast. It’s the sort of menu
that makes you want to order everything on it. We both went for the twin
platter, because one lobster is never enough. With a side of potato chips,
rolls, pickles and coleslaw, because you can’t just have two lobsters on
their own. That cost $25.95, or £14 in real money.
Halfway through, plastic bibs shielding against the crack-hammer work, two
American ladies sat down at the table adjacent to ours. I tutted, because
although I love Americans, I also hate them. These ones were wearing
baseball caps and their ponytails were sticking out of the hole at the back.
Worse, they weren’t going to take the caps off for dinner. You should do
that. Even in a shack. Even in America.
Harriet wanted to know why I’d tutted, so I jerked a subtle thumb in the
direction of the new diners. She rolled her eyes, the way wives do, urging
me to stop spoiling our fabulous dinner and enjoy myself.
A few beers and claws later and I’d forgotten all about the baseball caps. But
then the two Americans did that thing that Americans do. They caught our
accents and, overwhelmed with excitement, butted in on our conversation.
“Gee, where are you guys from?”
“London.”
“Wow, we love London. How are you enjoying the lobster?”
“Sensational.”
“Wow, what a beautiful accent. How long are you here for?”
Eventually, they tired of us and we were left in peace to attack great
triangles of homemade fruit pie. They left before we did, offering extensive
well-wishes, bon voyages and compliments to our fellow Englanders back home
as they went. They were so nice, you wanted to set them on fire. I said that
to Harriet and she told me I was a horrible human being.
Ten minutes later, we asked for the bill. “It’s been taken care of,” replied
the waitress.
“What do you mean?”
“Those two ladies took care of it.”
“What do you mean?”
“Those two ladies took care of it.”
We kept this up until she handed me a Nunan’s Lobster Hut card. On the back,
there was a message from the ladies with the baseball caps wishing us the
very best with the rest of our holiday.
I’ve been feeling bad ever since. But the lobster was out of this world.
How to do it: Nunan’s (00 1 207 967 4362) opens on summer weekends at
5pm; there may be a queue by 5.30pm. Bring cash because they don’t take
plastic. It is on Route 9, near Cape Porpoise, which is a couple of miles
north of Kennebunkport. You can hire beach properties nearby from Vacation
Rentals (www.vacationrentals.com)
or drive, as many do, from anywhere on the New England coast. Fly to Boston
with British Airways (0870 850 9850, www.ba.com),
American Airlines (0845 778 9789, www.americanairlines.co.uk),
Virgin Atlantic (0870 380 2007, www.virgin-atlantic.com)
or Flyglobespan (0871 271 0415, www.flyglobespan.com).
Expect to pay from £500 for flights in summer.
Maine lobster (the bulk of which actually comes from Nova Scotia) does not have the taste of a Prince Edward Island lobster. If you want good lobster, head north into Canada and get some Northumberland Strait lobster on the north shore of NS or on Prince Edward Island.
They are tastier because the water of the Strait is more shallow than the North Atlantic and that means there's more food available for lobsters. Comparatively speaking, an Atlantic lobster tastes like paper compared to a Strait lobster. Lobsters from the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, on PEI's north side, are almost as good as Strait lobsters. Both are far superior to "Maine" ones.
On PEI, there are marvellous spots where you can enjoy lobster on the wharf, only feet from where they were landed or community lobster suppers where you can mix and mingle with locals and get a 'right good feed'. Lobster is not a 'fancy' meal, it's best served on a kitchen table with fresh potato salad, mayonnaise, & drawn butter.
Carol Dobson, Holland Cove, PEI Canada
Wow, that place is probably as well known as hmm Lobster rolls in that part of Maine. I've been going there for 20 years at least. If you want to see real Maine you need to drive 300 miles north east until all you see is pine trees and the dark blue sea. But if you want Disneyland Maine, Kennebunkport is the place to go!
Lobstah, DownEast, Maine
Yum! We're going to Maine this summer. Thanks for the tip!
starling, Lancaster,