Calling all Calamari Lovers for a 3-Way

Having forgotten to delve into the freezer for something to prepare for dinner and not having had lunch, the thought of scrambled eggs on toast didn’t seem too appealing and so decided that maybe  Joe Fish at Cape St Francis Resort was a good option. Sipping one of the new additions to their beer draft collection, a delicious amber ale named ‘Car Park John’ that they sell at just R25 a pint, a good price for a good beer I pondered what to eat. Remembering a conversation with Resort CEO Anita Lennox  last week I remembered her singing the praises of the Joe Fish ‘Calamari 3-Ways’ special on offer.

Whilst beautifully prepared calamari is always a treat I tend not to order it for all too often I have had bad experiences with rubber bands rather than a delicate melt in your mouth this delicacy should offer so tends to  sway me to something else on the menu. Approaching Joe Fish restaurant manager Jason he assured me they were not chewy so I jumped in the deep end and ordered Calamari 3-Ways.

Served on a wooden platter the three different ways certainly looked inviting and so I started with the calamari rings prepared as most restaurants do, lightly battered, fried and served on a bed of rice with a dipping bowl of Tartar sauce. All good – tasty, succulent and certainly not tough. I would have been quite content if that was all that was served but the other offerings looked even more inviting and interting.

Moving on to the second of the 3-way offering, small calamari tubes dusted  in wasabi and sesame seeds and then deep fried until crispy, I took a bite into the soft tasty, slightly tangy meat and really good with an interesting tang of the Wasabi. I took a second tube but this time dipped it in the accompanying Asian dipping sauce and wow! Now if you are not into really hot, dip very lightly for the dipping sauce is hot. Coming from the land of hot curry, my taste buds were invigorated after a few more tubes dipped in the sauce and soon had the top of my head feeling a little itchy, always a good sign of a really well prepared hot sauce.

So on to the third of the 3-way!

In my opinion and to that of my palate this Is the pièce de résistance! Vodka flambé calamari tubes stuffed with a spicy, not hot, delicious herb filling.  Biting into the tube it exploded the delicious spicy filling onto your taste buds. Without doubt my choice of the three calamari dishes on offer although any one of them as a main dish would have been a treat.

Not too sure how long Joe Fish will be running this 3-way calamari special but if you love your calamari get there soon for there is no guarantee that the chokka boats will be able to keep up with the supply for at just R110 it is a steal. A delicious steal and certainly an “I want some more’ experience. That said I will have to return for that ‘more’ for it certainly is a meal on its own so seconds would need to be on another occasion.

And whilst on the 3-Way theme, Joe Fish is also offering a beer tasting 3-way special where for R55 you get taster servings of three draft beers, Car Park John, a fruity amber ale, a Beach Blonde Light and a Hansa draught. An Ideal choice to accompany the Calamari 3-Ways.