Sexy Lobster: seafood in Bournemouth's glass dome

Bournemouth's seafront has a new seafood name: Sexy Lobster, which has taken over the glass dome on Exeter Road that used to be Neo. It's the work of hospitality entrepreneur Howard Spooner and executive chef Olivia Brinkley, who brings experience from Zuma and Sydney's Tetsuya's to the kitchen. Brinkley is also the artist behind the restaurant's visual identity, a self-taught London-based painter whose childhood in the West Indies comes through in the vibrant style around the place.

The menu puts seafood front and centre. The raw section opens with Pool Bay Rock Oysters at £5 each, scallop sashimi with yuzu, soy, ginger and pickled radishes at £16, and a tuna tartare with avocado, chilli, shallots, black sesame, lime and a feuille de brick at £15. Small plates lean into the same flavour profile: chicken vegetable dumplings with orange ponzu at £13, pumpkin mushroom croquettes with sriracha lime yoghurt and fresh truffle at £15, white Dorset crab with pomelo, fennel, ginger, lemon crème fraiche and feuille de brick at £16, and shaved black truffle fettuccine with parmesan crème and toasted hazelnuts at £15.

For the larger plates, the grilled lobster is the obvious headline, half at £45 and whole at £80, served with miso garlic butter, lime and fresh black truffle chips. Beside it sit the Sexy Beast burger on a brioche bun with yuzu béarnaise and chips at £20, grilled sesame tuna steak with sweet potato purée, ginger, sesame and lime at £30, pan-roasted lemon sole with grilled asparagus, beurre noisette, capers, parsley and lime at £32, veal milanese with fettuccine arrabbiata, lemon and baby basil at £34, and an 8oz grilled West Country ribeye with chips and your choice of yuzu béarnaise or fiery peppercorn at £39. The vegetable and side section rounds things out with salt roast beetroot at £15, honey paprika cauliflower at £15, charred purple sprouting broccoli at £8, a rocket parmesan salad at £7, sautéed new potatoes at £7, truffle parmesan chips at £7 and plain chips at £5, with yuzu béarnaise and fiery peppercorn sauces at £3 each.

Lunch is the gentler way to try the place, with a set menu at £25 for two courses and £30 for three. Starters pull from the pumpkin mushroom croquettes, chicken vegetable dumplings and salt roast beetroot; mains include the Sexy Beast burger, grilled blackened chicken breast with butterbeans, zucchini, preserved lemon and mint, and fettuccine arrabbiata with parmesan and baby basil; and puddings run to lavender crème brûlée, orange shortbread, sticky toffee pudding and a 70% chocolate mousse with extra virgin olive oil, hazelnut crumb and salted caramel ice cream. A 12.5% suggested service charge is added to the bill.

Beyond the main menu there are summer puddings, a children's menu, an event set menu, a festive party menu and a Christmas Day lunch, with champagne and rosé served either inside or al fresco on the terrace overlooking the water. Private hire is available for celebrations, special occasions and corporate events with bespoke menus, and the restaurant lists conference facilities. It's open Sunday to Thursday from 12pm to 10pm and Friday and Saturday from 12pm to 11pm. Spooner also owns The George Hotel on the Isle of Wight and the boat Bollinger "G Dogg", which takes clients around the Solent with champagne and rosé.