A review of The Crab & Lobster near Thirsk

We first visited the Crab & Lobster around 6 years ago when I was pregnant with Jack. We treated ourselves to an overnight stay to celebrate our wedding anniversary if I remember rightly. We stayed in the Bardola Lodge which is set back from the manor and comes with it's very own hot tub and private decking. The lodge is priced at £250 per night including breakfast which I think is a fair price. I have fond memories of visiting the Manor before dinner and enjoying the complimentary canapes along with other guests before tucking into the most wonderful meal in the Crab & Lobster restaurant. Back then if you could locate the 'secret tap' in Crab Manor you could help yourself to unlimited complimentary beer which scored huge points with Steve. I'm not sure if this is still the case, if it is, you'll find a tankard and a few hints in your bedroom on arrival.

The Crab & Lobster Restaurant

Fast forward to 2016 and we are now in the fortunate position where we now have all three children at school and a little jaunt to North Yorkshire for lunch feels completely acceptable. We booked a table online for 12:30pm and set off from Northumberland at around 10am. We arrived around an hour prior to our reservation so enjoyed the blue skies and a walk around the market town of Thirsk before heading back to the restaurant in time for lunch.

Thirsk Market Place

The Crab & Lobster's design won't be for everyone but I love it. It is eclectic, weird and wonderful. Ancient antiques & treasures sit alongside spacesuits and vintage furniture and no two tables are the same. There is a bar area, restaurant and conservatory (where we were seated) to choose from. I felt as though I had been transported back in time as music from our grandparent's era is piped through the restaurant which really helps to set the scene. 

Conservatory area

A Spaceman came travelling

The restaurant area

We started proceedings with a bottle of Prosecco - Ca'del Console Prosecco Extra Dry, Italy to be precise. At just shy of £32 it is worth every penny and one of the best we have tasted. Definitely the right choice to accompany our lunch. 

There is a very good set lunch menu which offers 2 courses for £20 or 3 for £23 which is fantastic value. We will however save that for our return. After winning a competition via social media, we were here today to sample their finest a la carte. 

Yellison Goats Cheesecake - Gin, Lime & Thyme Jelly, Salad of Walnuts & Seared Winter Vegetables 

From the specials board - Pan Seared Scallops, black pudding, belly pork and apple puree

Our starters were exquisite. I definitely made the right choice with my Goats Cheese and absolutely devoured every last bite. It was so creamy and full of flavour - just as it should be. For starters, the portions were very good too.

Onto our main.........

Grilled Loin of Wild Halibut, Palourde Clams, Sweetcorn & Tomato, Lightly Smoked Cream Sauce, New Potatoes

The Fish Platter, Salmon & Crab Filo Parcel, Codling Fishcake, Seared Swordfish, Fish & Chips, Seared King Scallop, Crushed Peas, Crayfish Tartare

Not forgetting the most delicious and generous bowl of proper homemade chips

WOW! As is always the case now, we don't order for just ourselves and usually end up sharing everything. There was soooooo much food and it was all perfect. I adored the Salmon and Crab Filo Parcel and the Fishcake tasted so fresh. The Fish and Chips were also beautiful and something I will maybe order by itself from the lunch menu next time. Oh and how could I forget the crayfish tartar - perfect for chip dipping!

The service throughout our meal was spot on. The manager popped over for a quick chat, our drinks were refreshed as and when (but not too much - hate that!) and we were pretty much left to our own devices. There was a little boy on the table next to us and I although the Crab & Lobster is somewhere I would recommend for a special treat, I would definitely feel comfortable bringing my brood along too. 

After spending around 20 minutes waiting for our meal to settle and finishing our drinks there was definitely no room for dessert so we said our goodbyes and went for a saunter around the Crab Manor gardens and set about remembering our last visit.

Sunny terrace

The Crab Manor Hotel

Before long it was time for Steve to drive us back up the A1 home and back to reality. Spending an afternoon at the Crab & Lobster was such a treat and we definitely won't leave it another 6 years before our next visit.