Bubba Gump Shrimp Co is a restaurant that was first opened in California based on the film Forrest Gump and has since expanded to multiple locations worldwide including London! It is located near Piccadilly Circus tube station, which is very convenient and easy to find! If you happen to be out in the West End, why not visit this awesome place that is filled lots of Forrest Gump film props.
Did you know that Forrest Gump was released in 1994? Even though it has been 22 years, I can still remember the storyline and the famous quotes. I will always remember the scene where he sat on the bench with a box of chocolates and said, “My momma always said, “Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.”.”
This restaurant is situated on the second floor where there are stairs that lead you to the very well decorated 90’s shrimp shop. The whole place is a tribute to the film and features a menu of comfort food from the American South that reflects the film’s setting in Alabama. Shrimp is of course the specialty that is served up in over 20 different ways but there is something to delight everyone on the menu including Jambalaya, American burgers, crisp salads and indulgent desserts.
Ten years ago, we visited their New York restaurant in Times Square for Mr C’s 30th birthday and now ten years on, we were back to the same restaurant but different location to celebrate Mr C’s 40th birthday! I remember when I first went to their New York restaurant, I was very excited with their ‘Run Forrest Run’ and ‘Stop Forrest Stop’ signs! It got me all excited even just taking a photo with it! To use the signs, if you put Run Forrest Run up, the waiter/waitress will not come. If you put Stop Forrest Stop, they will come to you! It is that easy!
First, we ordered two of their recommended appetizers which is the Shrimper’s Net Catch and Seafood Hush Pups. For the Shrimper’s Net Catch, you can either have it with garlic spice or Cajun spice. We opted for garlic spice which is very juicy and garlicy shrimps that is steamed in beer! It is a Peel n Eat shrimp! Time to get messy! I do like shrimp that comes with shells as I find the shrimp is more succulent and flavoursome. It’s also an excuse to suck out their juicy flavour!
The Seafood Hush Pups are made from shrimp, fish and golden corn which is made into a ball and deep fried. It is served with a remoulade sauce. We love the crunch of the crispy skin.
For the main, we went for a variety: Forrest’s Seafood Feast, Lobster Linguine and Jambalaya to share while the children had Fish & Chips and Popcorn Shrimp!
Forrest’s Seafood Feast is Forrest’s favourite meal after a day on the boat. It comes with Hand Breaded Southern Fried Shrimp, Seafood Hush Pups and fish which is displayed in a cone style holder that is served on a bed of fries! Overall the food is very well fried and cooked. The shrimp tasted fresh and delicious. Not forgetting those delicious sauces for dipping – tartar, cocktail and remoulade and coleslaw.
If you want to try other seafood besides shrimp, the Lobster Linguine is a great choice! This tender lobster sautéed with Capers and Broccoli in Lobster sauce and served with Garlic Bread. I love this dish, not only the lobster is flavoursome, it is also very tender. The linguine is cooked to perfection with a creamy sauce. We all enjoyed this dish.
Next, we had the Jambalaya which is blackened chicken, shrimp and pork sausage sautéed with Bell Pepper, Onions and rice in Bubba’s own spicy sauce. This is my cousin’s favourite dish. The rice is very well cooked and the overall sauce is very delicious. The tomato based sauce is sweet and comes with a hint of spiciness.
As for the kid’s menu, they had Fish & Chips and Popcorn Shrimp which are served with French fries, fruit and jelly. I love how they serve the meal in Jenny’s boat! This is another reference to the movie, as Forrest named his boat after his wife, Jenny. Both my children enjoyed it and finished it all. The batters were crispy and fish were fresh.
Then we ended the meal with this Best of the Best Sampler – The Hook, Line and Sinker. This consists of three small puddings on one plate which is great for sharing. It comes with Mama’s Cinnamon Bread Pudding, Strawberry Shortcake with chopped fresh strawberries and Chocolate Chip Cookie Sundae! It did say small portion but when we saw the plate, we were all in shocked! The desserts looked so yummy and were quite a big portion for us. Nevertheless we still managed to finish it all! The chocolate chip cookie sundae was our favourite. We did find that the texture of the strawberry shortcake quite chewy but it does goes well with the fresh strawberry to compliment.
Overall we had a great experience dinning in the restaurant. It brought back memories of the film itself. Also not forgetting an oral test set by our waitress to test our knowledge of the film! It was great fun and being seafood lovers, we all enjoyed the southern American style food. The price range is slightly on the higher side but it is worth every penny.
Disclosure: We were invited to try out their food and drinks. However, they have not paid me for this review, and they do not exercise any editorial control over my review or anything else on this site.
