About Time: You Tried Eating Insects for DinnerBy Claudine Levy

I thought I could eat anything. I thought my greed knew no bounds. I thought nothing could keep me from tasting something new. The Grub pop-up really tested me.

The founders of Grub think that eating insects is the future. They believe that once we can get over our gag reflexes, this protein-rich, nutritious ingredient will change the landscape of Western dining forever. And so the good folk at Grub, in association with Chang beer, are putting on a 7-course Asian-inspired tasting menu to pave the way.

It’s fair to say that my initial feeling of disgust abated as time went on. I was able to adjust to the idea that eating insects was (in theory) no different to eating any other living creature. And I have to admit, a few creepy crawlies really did tickle my fancy by the end of the evening.

We were greeted by a ‘bar-snack’ of crispy crickets, because peanuts are just so passé, but by far the best thing we ate was the ‘insect miang’. It consisted of toasted coconut, ginger, lime, Thai shallot, peanuts, pomelo and Buffalo worms, all served in a Betel leaf.

It was either the mildly psychedelic/stimulant properties of the betel leaf, or the fact that the biteful was a genuine delight which exploded a cacophony of surprising flavours into my mouth… but I asked for a second helping.

Other boundary pushing dishes included tempura grasshoppers, crispy insect noodles and sticky crickets. Crickets may have more iron than beef, but I can’t say I’ll be swapping my rib-eye any time soon. That said, it was a fun, exciting evening, and trying something new is always a good thing. Even if it grasshopper wings do get stuck in your teeth along the way.

If you think you’re bold enough to tuck in: visit http://www.eatgrub.co.uk/ to book a table. I dare you – @eatgrubofficial