Belgo is a Belgian restaurant chain in London, comprising 2 or 3 main venues and a couple more Bierodrome bars. The emphasis is on a large range of proper Belgian beers, and mussels. There's other stuff on the menu, but I'd nearly always just go for these two. Except in June, when it's Belgo Lobster Festival!
This naked ploy to up-sell is an annual pleasure for DDD and associates. This weird sea-scorpion is a rare luxury and one it's not usually worth shelling out for, but the prices at BLF are reasonable and they know how to cook their prey. A surf and turf of 6oz rib-eye and a half-lobster is about £17, with further options for whole lobster, and bisque and half-lobster starters.
At our dinner at Belgo Noord (Chalk Farm) on day 1 of the festival, the steak was really very good indeed, and exactly as I wanted it cooked (blue but grilly on the outside). The lobster drenched in garlic butter. The frites crunchy/fluffy. And a cold Hoegaarden. BLISS.
In case you find lobsters intimidating, let me give a quick run-down. The main meat is in the body (tail) and the big claw. You can usually eat the meat from the tail with a normal fork, but the little bits that stick to the shell are worth scraping off. Never be afraid of picking it up and using your teeth - then you can suck the garlic butter off as well.
The small legs also have meat in them. Twist them off, and they should be soft enough to break or bite at the joints, so the meat can be scraped out with the teeth - like getting something solid out of a straw. Each time you break something off, nibble round the joint - there's usually some tasty morsels there.
Now the hefty claw. Break this off the body, then into the claw and upper leg by twisting. Use your nutcracker to break each open and fish the meat out using your poky snailing implement (the long winkling tool used to get the meat out of snails). You can crack each end of the claw and push the meat out, or do as I usually do and just destroy it totally and get the meat however I can. The low pincer of the claw usually has a bit of flesh in too.
The green stuff. This is the digestive system. Some people don't eat it and it is the most likely to make you ill. But Mr DDD persuaded me to try it (drawing on knowledge from his crayfishing days) - and it's delicious. It's creamy and mild, like the brown meat in crabs but infinitely more delicate.
Final stage: the hunt. Look at your lobster shells. If there is any tiny scrap of flesh, or any hidden corner where one might lurk, go after it! There is little in life more satisfying than picking the whole thing totally clean. And if you're me, you'll have finished before your eating companion and will be jealous enough having to watch them eat their lob that you'll want to do a thorough check for final scraps on your own plate.
If you don't need a washing basin, or preferably a shower, afterwards, then you've fallen short of a thorough job.
As a side-note, the waiters were wearing awesome lobster t-shirts, so I asked Belgo for one and they sent it to me.
Vive le Lobster Festival! Liberté, égalité, crustacité!
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