Calamari Tasting @ Chokka Block Restaurant

“There is a restaurant in the town of St Francis Bay in the Eastern Cape that dishes up the most tantalizing seafood meals within minutes. Clive’s Chokka Block, just an hour and a half away from Port Elizabeth, has become a favourite spot for travelers who want to tuck into good food during their stay or when they make a pit stop during a road trip.
Clive’s Chokka Block is known as one of the oldest restaurants in St Francis Bay, having been around for the past 21 years. Guests dine with the view of Port St Francis harbour, a privately owned harbour in South Africa. After taking over the restaurant last year, Canter recommends travelers to try their seafood offerings and their Mauritian and Portuguese cuisine. During a recent visit, our group of 15 arrived at the restaurant for lunch on an overcast day.
Canter welcomed us at the door and ushered us towards the blue and white laden table at the corner of the restaurant.
The smell of freshly caught seafood permeated the air. The restaurant is nautical themed with splashes and white and blue at every corner. While its appearance is dated, it is the food that lures its guests to the premises. With his 28 years of experience in the seafood industry, Canter wanted to create a tasting that showcased the town’s most famous asset: its calamari.
And his newly established calamari tasting does just that. During the tasting, Canter gave guests an insightful talk about calamari, debunked myths and showed guests how to prepare it. Canter also showed guests how to clean the calamari. Who would have thought that cleaning calamari could be so easy? It was fascinating to hear his stories about the seafood industry. After the 20 minute talk, waiters brought out the calamari platters for guests to taste. Although I am not a big fan of calamari, its flavourful combinations and freshness made it hard to resist another plate. The tasting certainly gave me a newfound appreciation of calamari.