Yum, crunchy bugs!

Did my baby massage course at the weekend. It was AMAZING! I can't wait to get my hands on all those beautiful babies. Obviously made me very clucky....2 more case studies to do and I can start teaching! If I can find somewhere to do it.Ah pressure, pressure...
Paul and I went to a fascinating restaurant on saturday night though. How nice to be able to go to a posh and unusual restaurant and not have to drive. Got a bit tipsy on cocktails which was a nice change actually, normally I so can't be bothered to drink cos it makes me feel vile. The restaurant 's called Archipelago and serves lots of 'interesting' meat and edible bugs.
Now I like a bit of adventure when it comes to food, but it's not often you go out for a romantic meal and get offered a side salad of insects. You walk through an unusually classy bamboo curtain into a dark cave of a restaurant with a pebbled floor. Each table is decked out with an eclectic mix of what mum calls 'junk' and I call 'wouldn't-this-look-great-in-our-house' stuff. Every wine glass is different, every wall has something to look at . I sat on a throne with velvety puffy cushions. Paul just got a chair. Ha. I had crocodile wrapped in vine leaves for my starter while Paul had the peacock.Yes you read that right.The croc tasted like a bizarre but incredibly juicy combination of chicken and fish with a divine tasting plum sauce to dip the huge chunks into. The peacock came with a vanilla and tomato confit and let's just say, even Gordon Ramsey could not fail to be impressed by this dish, it was unbelievable; moist, lightly flavoured, succulent. I could eat that every day and not be sick of it. Not sure how pleased Bill Oddy would be with us for eating his feathered friends, but hey.

For our main course; more meat. I had Ethiopian lamb with pancakes and an exotic fruit semble (ie bits of papaya and pineapple in a bowl) , he had honeyed chilli pig. And the Lovebug Salad. " What exactly is it?" I asked our lovely Polish waitress. "It's salad leaves with three crickets and two locusts." Mmm. "They taste just like chicken skin!" she chirped enthusiastically. Actually, it's not really the taste that's the barrier to eating them to be honest, it's the fact that you have to dare yourself to put the insect in your mouth and crunch, but once you're over that initial shock at seeing these insects lying on top of your salad and realising this is not an environmental health issue, the waitress wasn't wrong. Seriously. I'd have those locusts again in a heartbeat. Good job we'd had the cocktails first though. The rest of our main courses were amazing. My lamb was really spicy but the combo was lush. I'm havign that baby again someday! Oh my mouth is watering. A seriously good meal, but too full for pud. Shame cos there was a chocolate covered scorpion on the menu and I was a bit drunk and daring by then. I hope we get to go back when the menu's changed. Hint hint....