For all lobster lovers: you won’t want to miss this lobster festival week

A first in Willemstad: from Monday, May 23 through Sunday, May 29, the town will celebrate the festival of the lobster. All week long, you can enjoy a special lobster menu, and at the weekend there will also be live music, DJs, and a unique drive-through, where you can have lobster served on the deck of your boat. We went ahead to check it out.

William of Orange

Are you also crazy about lobster? Then a trip to the beautiful fortified town of Willemstad, located on the Hollandsch Diep in Noord-Brabant, is definitely worthwhile. I had never heard of Willemstad before—pretty shameful when you know its history. It begins in 1564; at the time, Willemstad was a small farming village called Ruigenhill. But it was a strategically located little village on an important waterway between Holland, Zeeland, and Noord-Brabant. In 1583, William of Orange decided to turn Ruigenhil into a strong fortress.

After William of Orange’s death, the name Ruigenhil was exchanged for Willemstad. The beautiful city center, with cannons on the quay, star-shaped dikes, forts, bunkers, and powder houses, is a major attraction for tourists—and once a year, there is a huge celebration: hotel-restaurant het Wapen van Willemstad pulls out all the stops with a lobster week.

Oyster girls and drive-through

At het Wapen van Willemstad, there are DJs and various bands perform. Special oyster girls also walk around, serving fresh oysters on the spot. But the lobster dishes are the absolute highlight.

With prosciutto

The first dish already looks impressive: veal tartare with a salad of lobster, black olive, prosciutto (dry-cured Italian ham), apple, and gazpacho. A little work of art on the plate, with the crisp, salty prosciutto providing a lovely counterpoint to the slightly sweet sauce.

Lobster bisque

The intermediate course is lobster bisque with cognac, cream & chives, served in a large glass. It is a little awkward to eat, but it is delicious.

Team lobster

But the star of the evening is the main course: half a lobster à l’armoricaine with lobster ravioli & a wild watercress salad. The rich l’armoricaine sauce (made with tomatoes, cognac, and wine) is delicious with the lobster’s sweet, tender meat.

Espresso Martini

After the rich dessert, consisting of an Espresso Martini panna cotta with sugared pistachio coffee crumble & salted caramel ice cream, you can roll straight into bed, because staying overnight is also an option; if you book a lobster package at het Wapen van Willemstad during this lobster week, you get a three-course lobster menu and an overnight stay in the eponymous three-star hotel, including breakfast, for 179.50 euros. Without an overnight stay, a three-course menu costs 55 euros, and four courses cost 70 euros. The special package will also be offered for a limited time after lobster week.

Read also:

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