The Spotted Pig and Live Squid

Do you guys remember that scene in Old Boy when the main character devours an entire squid? The squid's tentacles writhe all over his face in an attempt to escape his throat but he barbarically crushes the life out of it with his molars.



With this in mind, Andy, Sarah C, Sarah V, and I went out to eat live squid on one of our last nights in Korea.

I'm sad that I can't put videos on this blog...I took a great one of the little pieces wriggling around on the plate. I didn't know that the tentacles suction onto the inside of your cheek until I tried my first piece and freaked out as the little suckers started hanging on for dear life. You have to chew really hard and beat the squid pieces into submission! I'm not sure if I would eat it again, but it was an interesting experience, I guess.

Sarah and Andy!

Sarah and I are shocked.

The prawns, thankfully, were not alive.

The Spotted Pig! Oh ye famed, michelin-adorned gastropub of the west village!

This set-up reminded me so much of 8th grade art class...Do you remember those projects where you had to put your hand behind a glass of water and sketch how it got distorted, and then use some sort of weird greyscale shading to make it look realistic? Mine never looked realistic.

The prosciutto and ricotta tart.

Cheeseburger with shoestring fries.I haven't had a good burger in a while so it was blissful being reunited with the triumvirate of cheese, bread, and meat. However, I found the roquefort cheese too overpowering so the burger might have been better without it. The spotted pig gets bonus points for not trying to put any wimpy vegetables on the burger and even extra bonus points for toasting the bun beforehand. One word of caution for future diners- this burger and fries entree is rather massive and might induce severe food coma if eaten at one sitting.

Inside the belly of the beast that ended up in my belly.

I think I have to go to the Spotted Pig several more times to see why it merited a Michelin star. In any case, the waiters pressed me to order wine several times so I'm guessing that they don't care what age you are!

The Squid Place
Somewhere in Hongdae, Seoul

The Spotted Pig
314 W 11th St # 1
New York, NY 10014-2369
(212) 620-0393