Bob's Clam Hut, Kittery, Maine, USA

Warning: If you're hungry, look away now.

For those of you still with me, Bob's Clam Hut is the best place to satisfy that lobster roll/fried clams craving you're nursing. First up, everything's made with high quality, local incredients which, as the softly spoken, heart-of-gold owner, Michael Landgarten, told us when we stopped here recently, helps to explain why everything tastes so good. Second, it's right over the Maine stateline on Route 1 as you drive up from Boston, so you don't have to wait long to feed the addiction.

Not famliar with a clam hut? Let me explain... They started out mostly as mom-and-pop roadside restaurants, where you ordered from a window and ate at a wooden picnic table right out front. And, in the old days (ie, mid-to-late 20th century) they really were huts, too, which would close down for the winter when the tourists went home and the crustaceans were breeding, but in the 21st century, they're year-round and some have indoor seating as well as having diversified from selling just fried clams and fries or lobster and crab rolls (these, by the way, are a piece of bread that looks like a high-sided hotdog roll, often griddled for a few minutes to make them slightly toasted and then stuffed with either lobster or crab meat that's been mixed with a little mayonnaise to hold it all together.... I may have to go eat something – my stomach is actually rumbling as I type this...) to now offering a long list of mouthwatering possibilities.

At Bob's, for instance, you can order fried scallops; fried clams, with a choice of two recipies – one devised by a staff member – both excellent; fried haddock or other lesser-known but more sustainable local fish; lobster, crab, shrimp, oyster or tuna roll; ordinary or sweet potato fries; onion rings; burgers; cheeseburgers; lemonade; ice tea or – and I've saved my best for last – lobster stew.

No, I'd never had this before either, but you know what? The sweet, rich flavour of the creamy broth, which held chunks of soft, juicy lobster, is still haunting my dreams. I only wish I was kidding because, as I'm based in London, it's going to be a long wait until I get back there for more....

I also need to say something about the ice cream, which is locally made and comes in the kind of flavours where it's really, really, REALLY hard to choose just one (including salted caramel, natch).

If you're reading this thinking how you've never had a lobster roll or fried clams, then you need to fix that and Bob's is the place to do it.