THE Harvey Centre has today released an update on the planned opening of their edible insect restaurant ‘The Bug Bistro’.

Since announcing the opening on March 15th, ‘The Bug Bistro’ has been the talk of the town, with anticipation building around the opening date.

The Centre has seen a mix of positive and shocked reactions across its social media channels with some comparing the dining experience to a bush tucker trial. Others questioned what restaurant staff would say if they complained about a fly in their soup or seeing cockroaches in the kitchen. Many were curious about the prospect of trying something new and were keen to invite friends and family to join them for a dinner date.

Some people had speculated that due to the timing of the launch, ‘The Bug Bistro’ was actually just an inventive April Fools’ stunt. Comments such as ‘This can’t be real, luckily I’m a vegetarian’ and ‘Is the opening date 1st April?’ continued to spark debate about the authenticity of the restaurant.

Others questioned references to April Fools’ within the sample menu published on the Centre’s website which included ‘April’s Special ‘Ant’ipasti’ and ‘Fruit fool topped with chocolate covered locusts’.

Following an announcement from The Harvey Centre today, we can confirm that this speculation was true.

Bryan Young, Centre Manager at The Harvey Centre says, “Our intention for ‘The Bug Bistro’ was to make people smile – announcing the opening in the lead up to April Fools’ Day gave us the perfect opportunity to do this and to get the public talking.

Our fake store front, sample menu and social media imagery certainly captured people’s imagination and we want to thank everyone who joined in on the fun by commenting and sharing their views.

Over the coming months we will welcome a number of new food outlets to our retailer line up. The Brick Lane Bagel Company will be opening its doors to the public shortly, with more announcements to follow. However, for those who were looking forward to sampling some critter-based cuisine, you will have wait a bit longer…. but who knows what the future has in store!’