Belgo Lobster Festival 2010

Knife poised above the large carapace of the sunset coloured lobster, I took stock of what I was doing. In celebration of the start of the 2010 Belgo Lobster festival, a lucky bunch of us had been invited by Belgo, the Belgian Restaurant chain offering up some of the best moules frites and beers in town, to the Centraal location to be guided through the shelling and preparing of some of their dishes exclusively offered in the June festivities by the friendly and adept exec chef, Muir Picken.

Wondering in to the underbelly of Belgo Centraal, I had found a small group of food bloggers and writers chattering excitedly, including Londonist's Tiki Chris, Neil (LambShankRedemption) and Kristiana (Turquoise travels).

A gentleman clad in monk's habit introduced himself as Luigi and asked if I'd like a trappist beer or sparkling rose to drink. After my recent visit to Belgium I confidently asked 'You got any of them fruit beers?' 'Er, yes I'm sure but you wouldn't drink those with lobster dishes...' Well I got told. And rightly so; the pairings our beerologist later offered added a whole new dimension to the dishes - some complimented perfectly, others added a sharp contrasting kick to the palate. My favourite was probably the Kwak, but the nifty little wooden handle and bell glass may have had a lot to do with it (in the olden days I would have had to hand over a shoe as deposit, but instead I just smiled sweetly).

We helped to prepare two starters; the overly traditional Lobster Thermador and a similarly prepared Thai Lobster (the dish I prepared), using a red thai curry sauce instead of the standard creamy one, finished with crushed peanuts in place of grated cheese. Next was the lobster salad main in a lemony dressing; very tasty but quite pricey at £17.95 as a whole lobster is used.

Next out were the first fresh lobsters we'd seen (the first few were pleasantly boiled before we arrived). These were put into a dormant state by freezing for 30 minutes - I think more benefit to the chef than the lobster. There is still no consensus on the pain capacities of a lobster, the Norwegian Scientific Committee for  Food Safety confidently claim that 'it is unlikely that lobsters can feel pain', while there are many counter arguments saying otherwise.

In any case, if you choose to eat lobster, you should be clued in with how the creatures are dealt with before reaching your plate. For the whole lobsters (warning: gets a little graphic here) the lobsters are placed in their dormant state on a chopping board and a large knife is used to dispatch them swiftly. They are then prepared, smothered in garlic and parsely butter and popped neatly under a grill.

We had these served up in the surf n turf variety with a plump piece of steak and a bowl of frites, which would normally set you back a reasonable £17.95 for a half lobster. This plate was perhaps my favourite - apart from experiencing it gratis - the decadence of a good steak served with a nob of garlicy pernod butter, accompanied with a succulent lobster half, would surely demand a repeat visit in June.

Lobster festival runs only in June across the five Belgo branches so look here to find your closest. Big thanks to Relish PR for the super opportunity.