Mussels, crab, squid, and carrots in a sweet garlicky sauce. 449 PHP
Leslie’s Restaurant, Tagaytay PHILIPPINES
This wasn’t my favorite. There was too much sauce for it to be served in such a shallow dish, and the crab was really hard to eat and break apart when it was slick with sauce. The mussels were also on the dry, overcooked side. I wouldn’t order this again.
Taal Lake and Volcano.
Topped with scallions, served with cocktail sauce and tartar sauce. $12.75
Yankee Pier, San Francisco International Airport (SFO)
Ew, why do I torture myself with bad airport food?! The calamari was super dry and chewy and none of the pieces were any bigger than popcorn. I must have gotten the bottom of the frozen bag or something.
The service was also horrendous and annoying. He was SO frickin’ pushy and he could barely speak English. He was so rude that I wanted to strangle him. Ugh, I miss Terminal 2!
White bean and endive salad, salsa verde aioli. $14
Lot 7, San Francisco CA
Noms, this was my favorite item of the night! The squid were beautifully cooked and all the components on the plate were delicious. More please!
Rainbow flag, Castro and Market.
Dusted with flour, lightly fried and seasoned with lemon, served with a lemon aioli. $7.95
Wipeout Bar and Grill, Greenbrae CA
We stopped by Wipeout to grab a snack and drinks before heading to an event. I wish we hadn’t. These calamari were horrible! They were super greasy, hard and over-fried. Ew! There were plenty of them, which made them more difficult to eat – lame.
Salt and pepper calamari. Calamari deep fried with a salt and pepper coating, sauteed with jalapenos and scallions. Served with a cilantro lime dipping sauce. $11
Zadin, San Francisco CA
Finally made it to this neighborhood restaurant, and I liked it! We had four people in our party so it was great to try a lot of different items. This dish was really tasty, but maybe a bit over-fried. I loved the jalapenos and the cilantro lime sauce was different and yummy.
Pink Triangle Park, Castro and Market.
Noodles mixed with shredded pork, shrimp, and calamari in a dark soybean sauce. $7.50
SO, San Francisco CA
I actually ordered the “SO black bean noodles”, but I got the “Black bean noodles” instead. OMG, why do restaurants name items “SO” similarly! Anyway, the SO black bean noodles are delicious because of their spiciness. These noodles were good, but not what I was craving. Ugh, I should have known better and come AFTER the lunch rush. I was also super annoyed trying to leave when I was finished because this place was sorely understaffed. I’ve learned my lesson.
Another beautiful San Francisco morning from my balcony.
With spicy Asian red chili sauce. $9
The Tropicale, Palm Springs CA
Yuck, this was gross! The calamari was super dry, overcooked, rubbery, tough to chew, and lacked flavor. It definitely tasted like poor quality frozen calamari that was abused by the fry cook. And the chili sauce was really an Asian-inspired salsa, just sayin’.
Ocotillo, desert coral, vine cactus, etc. (Fouquieria splendens, Fouquieriaceae) in the yard. Can’t wait to catch it blooming.
Sauteed shrimp, squid, and scallop with onions, chili, carrot, bell pepper and basil leaves. A la carte $13.95
Thai House Express, San Francisco CA
I like the flavors in there, but the squid was a bit overcooked so it was tough to chew. The service also tends to be inconsistent. It ranges from the most attentive service to having to flag down the waiter depending on the night.
Salvia “Hot Lips” (Salvia microphylla, Lamiaceae). I love the vibrant red and white flowers of this plant (Baby sage, Graham’s sage, Blackcurrant sage).
Montery baby squid tempura with sriracha aioli. Happy hour $5
Barracuda Sushi, San Francisco CA
These were good – perhaps a little greasy, but they had a nice flavor from the batter. And I like the taste and slight heat of the sriracha aioli.
A-OK hand signal sidewalk stencil, Guerrero Street. It always amazes me how many different stencils there are in this city!
Deep fried calamari with jalapenos, lime, aioli. $11
Farley Bar, Sausalito CA
I have to say that calamari is one of my favorite appetizers ever! Who doesn’t love fried squid with aioli, right?! These were delicious and I loved the crispy batter and fried pepper slices. Everything was cooked perfectly and had a wonderful texture.
Long wooden patio table at Farley Bar. I really liked the outdoor seating at Farley Bar. The tables are really narrow so everyone faces one direction, towards the Bay with a great view of the Bridge.
Calamari, shrimp, scallop, white fish, fried tofu, mushroom, cabbage, chilies, green onions. £12.80
Jun Ming Xuan Chinese Restaurant, London ENGLAND
This was pretty good and there was plenty of it! I liked that they used fried tofu instead of fresh tofu because I prefer the texture. There was also a nice helping of seafood in there. I just wish the dish was a little spicier!
Tower of London, Her Majesty’s Royal Palace and Fortress. Home to the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom, this historic castle is a very popular tourist attraction. We didn’t want to wait in line and, instead, opted to be outside to enjoy the much welcomed sun that day. I’m not crazy about the weird lion statues they installed in front of the fortress. They look out of place.
Puffed squid with pickled serrano pepper slices, serrano chili powder, micro cilantro leaves, dollops of garlic sauce, and diced pieces of squid. Pre fixe dinner $180
Benu, San Francisco
This was really fun to eat. At first, I didn’t realize that the black portion was also squid that had been puffed. I loved the flavors and all the different textures.
Vittle Monster 