Deep Fried Crickets from Jurassic, Taipei

Actually, these look more like grasshoppers than crickets, right? Well, whatever the critters were, we came here (196 Bade Road Section 2, 2741-0550) tonight for the novelty of some bugs and beer. This tacky dinosaur-themed place, also known as Indian, has clearly seen better days. We almost immediately regretted coming here given how dead it was, but we still sat down anyway.

Our primary intent in coming here was for the beer, which comes in these wooden barrels that you keep at your table. It was only San Miguel, so it wasn't really the beer itself that we were after, but rather the gimmicky way that they serve it...plus the little snacks that one can get with it, like some stir fried clams or the bugs that you see above. The bugs were salty and greasy enough that they complemented the beer, and of course provided an obvious amusement factor. I didn't eat more than just one or two of them though.

I'm surprised that these guys were still around. In fact, it looks like they have expanded to Southern California, of all places...but I'm assuming that they don't serve crickets there, right? That defeats the whole purpose for me then; the only reason why I would go to Indian is for the novelty of the crickets and the beer barrel. Even if they have a regular food menu, it's not exactly somewhere that I'd think of going to eat at. And admittedly after seeing how old school this place has become, I don't think I'm going back.