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This was my second trip to Big Easy a BBQ and Crab Shack restaurant. The first time I went was about two years ago and was the one on Kings Road in Chelsea, plus I was pretty hungover so didn’t get a chance to enjoy the food properly!

This time was different as we booked a table for 8.30pm on a Thursday evening, so after a hard days work were starving by that time! We got to the second branch of Big Easy to open in London’s Covent Garden, housed in an old power station, and it definitely felt like it too with it’s industrial feel. It was dimly lit as we made our way to our table downstairs past a small stage with live musicians playing country music, giving it an American feel.

The bar we stood at first to order drinks from was quite small, and was hard to find a place to grab the waiter’s attention as people were propped up against it waiting for their tables. When I managed to get his attention he politely told us that they we could tell them our tastes in cocktails and they could make something up. It was so dark in there, I could barely read the menu and had to find a more lit area. I chose a simple drink though off the menu, an Appleton rum and pineapple juice which was rather strong!

Every weekday they do a different daily special such as ‘The Big Pig Gig’ which is all you can eat baby back ribs and chicken with beans, slaw and a beer for £17 but Thursday’s choice was 12oz rump steak and half a lobster with fries, a salad and a choice of cocktail for £22 or the ‘Lobster Fest’ a whole lobster, fries, salad and cocktail for £20. I chose the steak and lobster combination and my friend went for the ‘Lobster Fest’ and we shared a popcorn shrimp to start.

The friendly waiter handed us our obligatory ‘Big Easy bibs’  and as the popcorn shrimp arrived not long after we dug in. The coating was crisp and tasty and was not like the plain breadcrumbed shrimp I had eaten before, it was seasoned with what tasted like paprika, chilli and some other wonderful stuff and came with a homemade tartar sauce and chilli/tomato sauce. It was just enough as a sharer starter to calm our hunger and not overdo it for the main. The Mai Thai slushie cocktails we ordered that came with our food were lovely too.

The steak which I eat well done was nicely done on the outside and still pinky in the middle which was for me was cooked to perfection. It was also juicy, thick and delicious and I managed to devour it all. The half lobster to my disappointment was not as big as I hoped and didn’t have too much meat, but the garlic butter was so good and I drizzled the tasty liquid over my steak too. The meat of the lobster was sweet and tasted fresh though.

My friends lobster was not cut in half, or even opened a bit, so was quite difficult to manage and this was pretty unhelpful and I had managed to eat my steak before she even managed to get her lobster out the shell.

All in all it’s worth a trip and for what you get the price is reasonable. The atmosphere is very lively, although the place is dimly lit, and if you need glasses well I’d suggest taking them to read the menu.

Where To Find:

12 Maiden Lane, Covent Garden, WC2E 7NA   020 3728 4888    www.bigeasycoventgarden.co.uk