Big Easy

nip_and_nosh

Yummy Yummy Yummy to an American Tummy 24th November 2008

1 found this helpful

The Big Easy gives the homesick American a momentary taste of home. For others who enjoy American staples like ribs, onion rings, salads that have no mayonaisse whatsoever... this is a good spot to check out.

Whatever you do, make sure you have some onion rings with - delicious with a side of bbq sauce! The service is a little slow and distracted, but the food makes up for any shortcomings.

A little on the pricey side, but you are in Chelsea after all.

ben_e_h

good food, good fun 12th September 2008

1 found this helpful

Great atmosphere on the right night. Fairly tasteful for an american diner! Good quality american food which can be same old wherever you go, so this is a nice change. Lobster was excellent, as were the steaks. Very good wine list from which a suitable wine was recommended. Necessary to book ahead, there are two seatings, one at 7.15 and one at 9.30. Therefore if you are in the first seating you have to leave by 9.15, which is fine if you have other engagements. There is a band later and it can be a lot a fun afterwards, so a good night can be had from start to finish! Highly recommended. Meal was £40 each, considering the volume is fine.

nell4tune

John Wayne Country also liked by Royalty alike... 8th September 2008

3 found this helpful

Do you remember watching some of the cowboy movies where they sit by the open fire eating their beans out of their metal plates and sipping coffee off metal cups well dream on - but the menu is pretty much American Style. Huge racks of ribs caked with barbecue sauce, mouth watering steaks with chips the size of wrestler's fingers. The food is definitely to die for if you like good authentic American style food which I like now and again - absolutely worth every penny. Take note though dress up in your jeans and t-shirt or causal top. This is not 'Gerard Depardieu' ambience. Take note of the my heading... All tables are very close together and can be very noisy. So guys if you want to propose to the 'one who could be it'... if you take her to this place hoping for her to say yes, big mistake...!!! The place almost resembles the ambience of a saloon bar restaurant. Our party of 10 (with 2 kids) arrived for dinner only to be met with 'maitre de' whom appreared to have missed our booking (initially) and huffed and puffed at me (big big mistake!!!). Luckily I brought my booking print out and showed it to her - strangely enough she was still flusterred!!! Please note the place was very busy indeed and I figured they may have been pretty greedy and took more than they could handle hence the reaction... The other staff were very nice and friendly but 3 times they messed up our food and drinks order... However the food was really fabulous. I ordered half a lobster which was very simply cooked with white cream sauce and cheese was absolutely fabulous and costing approximately £9.50. Despite the poor service the food was fantabulous. As we were treated like 'Red Indians just out off a reservation' we decided to complain to the manager and she decided to give us 30% off our bill. Frankly we would have just preferred to be treated a bit nicer as we were already prepared to pay the full price anyway. Despite the place being pretty crammed in with tables and people a small 3 piece band was playing great music (no not all country music - you will be pleased to know) but Bryan Adams type of music which was right up our street. Great for the family and mates. A noisy and buzzing atmosphere. I am told by the staff that Sheryl Crow and the 2 princes ate there as well. It is different and easy going - not expensive and you will definitely love the food. Highly recommended. Word of warning - Parking in Chelsea is a nightmare ... be prepared to walk a way from where you parked...

FoodStories

Totally Gut-Bustingly Fab! 13th August 2008

5 found this helpful

The ‘Big Easy’, which describes itself as a ‘BBQ & Crabshack’ is around 5 minutes walk from Sloane Square tube. The occasion was a friend’s birthday and we all but one opted for surf and turf with the 1-kilo steak and lobster combo. This place has won numerous awards and I can see why. So often this kind of food is so disappointing. It is the sort of cooking you need to get just right, with fresh ingredients, cooked with a little love. The ½ lobster was delicious and we all relished the opportunity to get messy (we all donned the optional, ‘now make yourself look really stupid’ bibs) The steak was cooked perfectly and there was a variety of sauces available; I opted for béarnaise as usual (I can never resist the unctuousness of it oozing all over my uber rare steak). This was served with onion rings which were actually very good, crispy and light and of course, plenty of cold beers were sunk too.

The atmosphere was lively but not oppressive; the one slight grumble being the really loud 2 man act that started knocking out a variety of early ‘90’s chart ‘classics’ towards the end of our meal. It was entertaining, just not if you're sat right next to them. It just stifled conversation a little.

All said, this place is a winner and I highly recommend it to all Londoners and visitors alike. We had a delicious meal which I think came in at a little under £30 each (a bargain really, check out the portion). I was the only one to leave any on my plate but then I was dining with a group of ravenous men who fought over my scraps at the end. Good stuff!

chrisp

Bodean's is Better 13th August 2008

1 found this helpful

Last week I was dragged on an office party to what was billed as a "Medieval Banquet" in St. Katherine's Dock, in a deafening basement full of a good few hundred inebriated staff from every other company across London with a management too tight to pay for a decent Christmas meal. Served by Polish staff dressed up to look like 17th century prostitutes, forced to do humiliating co-ordinated dances in between serving what can only loosely be described as food, it was like going back 20 years to a time before gastropubs, organics and enlightened British cooking to the days when corporate diners were happy to put up with cold dry salmon, tinned soup and fatty boiled chicken just so long as there was enough free booze in front of them. The general air of holiday camp awfulness was further reinforced by a "host" playing Henry VIII who looked remarkably mediterranean for a famous redhead, and a stage-school wannabe Anne Boleyn who sung medieval classics like Simon & Garfunkel over the PA while second-rate "entertainers" threw skittles around and forced Brian from Accounts to put a dress on so everyone could laugh and take pictures. I've still not quite recovered.

However, much as it pains me to say it after that experience, there is occasionally a place for themed restaurants. There's nothing wrong with some crazy crap on the walls, waiting staff in silly costumes and silly puns on the restaurant's name on menu items as long as - and this is of course very important - as long as the food is up to scratch. The Big Easy Crabshack on King's Road certainly has a very impressive menu, boasting such premium (at least in these parts) items as Atlantic King Crab, Lobster, Clam Bake, Tiger Prawns (sorry "Shrimp") and Oysters. What a shame then, that on eating it was all just a little disappointing.

It all started well, with a bowl of Buffalo Chicken Wings which were at least as good if not better than those served at Bodean's just over the river. The only complaint was that there wasn't quite enough sauce and the dip was I think just craime fraiche and not as interesting as the blue cheese stuff from their rival.

Mains were nothing if not generous, with two whole racks of pork ribs served with nice enough BBQ beans, half a sweetcorn and an actually very nice indeed home made (I presume) coleslaw. But the ribs themselves were fairly tasteless, again pretty dry thanks to a combination of overcooking and lack of sauce, and quite a chore to get through once I'd finished off one rack. To be fair however, a companion's jumbo shrimp were moist and gorgeously cooked and served with home made nachos which you don't see very often. How they'd manage to overcook the ribs, which they must do every serving hour of every day, and get the prawns so right (not easy when you're grilling them) I have no idea, but there it is.

We had also ordered a side of stuffed jalapeno peppers on the back of a positive memory of a similar thing from North America. Here they were dripping in fat and unsatisfyingly soggy throughout - most of them got left I think.

The bill came to about £25 a head and was I suppose good value for money considering the location (our fellow diners were an unlikely mix of big-haired Sloaney couples and kids parties) and the amount of food served. But I can still unhesitatingly recommend Bodean's Grill above the Big Easy - Bodean's may have a smaller menu and a much more limited selection of expensive seafood, but what it does it does very well, and their pulled pork is worth a visit alone.

LuzabelleSalter

Nice crabs 12th February 2008

2 found this helpful

Pre orchestra meal of lobster, fries and salad and a cocktail went down well. I had not had lobster this way before so it was quite an experience and affordable too. You probably need to spend a bit more time than I did to eat and enjoy the meal fully. Especially if you are dong the lobster! The atmosphere was nice – better than I expected (I was American diner inexperienced). I would go back sometime so it must have been good!