I’m not one for sporting pursuits-the idea of climbing Mount Everest or running a marathon doesn’t interest me in the least but I am all in favour of pursuing good food. I will travel for food, aided with our car and my rapidly approaching P license. I’d like to think that the pursuit of the best Salt and Pepper Squid is a rather noble pursuit. So when someone told me that the Golden Swallow at Gordon had Sydney’s best ever Salt and Pepper squid, my ears pricked up. I looked it up on eatability and yes there were several claims that they did have Sydney’s Best S&P Squid (and thankfully it didn’t seem that they were from people who owned the restaurant). Several people mentioned how the squid melted in their mouth but warned of off-hand service and a lack of atmosphere and intrusive takeaway customers.
Situtated right next to Gordon train station it’s prime take-away pick up time this Friday night for just my husband and I. For all of our group eating out adventures that I love, he specifically asked if we could be alone tonight as he missed that. So whilst this isn’t a romantic place to have dinner, it was a romantic notion behind it. The small room is half full with customers and the woman in the apron shows us to a table for 4, even though there are 2 of us.
After a quick search through the menu we’ve made our selection after enquiring whether the Squid with Spicy Salt and the Squid with Spicy Sauce are different. In actual fact they’re the same thing so we order a serve of that as well as a chicken, day lily and fungus hot pot and rice for two.
Grass Jelly drink $2
For drinks we try the Grass Jelly herbal drink. It’s a non carbonated sweet slightly herbal tasting drink with small chunks of jelly throughout it. It does taste a little grassy although not as grassy as you might imagine and it’s not bad but probably not for the unadventurous.
Squid with Spicy Salt $13.50
Both dishes arrives at the same time, within 5-10 minutes of ordering and we dig into the spicy salt squid. It’s tender but perhaps has been sitting on the bench waiting for the hot pot to cook as it’s not that piping hot which is how freshly cooked deep fried food often is with the oil burning the tongue in its eager haste to taste. To its credit it’s not greasy at all and quite tender although I don’t know if I would say that it is Sydney’s best, although it is good. It’s a deceptively large serve with my husband pausing midway to stare at the plate and exclaim “There’s a lot of it there!”.
Chicken, day lily and fungus hot pot $14.50
The chicken, day lily and fungus hot pot is a large, piping hot ceramic bowl filled with softer than soft chicken strips, day lily, fungus (wood ear mushrooms) and boy choy at the bottom. It’s a little underseasoned but still filling and sustaining.
Perhaps it’s not Sydney’s best salt and pepper squid but it is very, very good and for such pursuits, I’ll gladly go to the ends of the earth!
At the risk of having ripe fruit hurled at me, I promise this is my second last post mentioning the Well Fed Network’s awards.
Not Quite Nigella has been nominated in two categories for Well Fed Network’s awards. Thankyou so much for the wonderful people that nominated me 
And if you would like to vote you can do so on. I think I need all the help I can get!
Best Food Blog – Post (for my Freeganism story)
Best Food Blog – City
Lots of love and happiness,
Lorraine aka NQN
xxx
Golden Swallow
7 St Johns Avenue, Gordon, NSW
Tel: +61 (02)9498-8666
Open: Monday-Wednesday 11:30-2:30pm, 5-9.30pm
Thursday-Saturday 11:30-2:30pm, 5-10pm
Sunday and Public Holidays 5-9.30pm
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29 Comments | Add your own
I love salt and pepper squid! I also have the same pursuit. If its on the menu, i have to order it.
The best i ever had was at a Spanish restaurant i worked at (now defunk)The chef added dry polenta to the salt mix so when it was fried it was amazingly crispy.
Ive never seen that technique again. I was really delicious.
Good luck on your quest fair maiden!
Tish (@roweeena)
i voted!!!
that squid is making me salivate!
Mmmm, your photos are absolutely mouth-watering…
Congratulations on the very well deserved nominations!! SO exciting! I just voted for you!
I vouch for Kingsford Chinese restaurant definitely! High crunch factor.
Congrats on the nominations! They are so well deserved!
That jelly drink sounds very interesting, I think that I might try to track that down!
This is my must- have dish whenever I go to a Chinese restaurant! Love it.
I didn’t see a daylily in the chicken, daylily and fungus hotpot picture. I grow daylilies and there is not a single flower in that meal. It looks like there are green onions in it. Although I know daylilies are edible , I do not cook with them I enjoy the flowers for the beauty they display in spring.
I voted!!!
I’ve never had squid. I’m not that adventurous. Although I like most other seafood. Maybe someday.
This looks delicious. I have to say, I’m not all that interested in most fried foods, but I have a huge weakness for fried squid.
wow your photos are getting better at each post which is almost impossible since they re perfect
Lorraine, It turns out that the ‘Pure Evil’ guy is a very good friend of mine who introduced me to Golden Swallow in the first place. I had forgotten that he was also at Simon’s. It all makes sense now!
For the record, what you should do at Golden Swallow, is order just the squid with some white rice and vege. They serve it to you in 1 plate, and I assure you, the whole ’squid’ experience is double-fold!
The best salt & pepper squid i’ve had in Sydney is at the Golden Century on Sussex St. Big fan of the blog
.
day lily? i declare, lorraine, i learn something new every time i visit your blog.
oh, how i want this. how i want the recipe for this. we have squid tonight that we’re going to use, but maybe the leftovers could be for this?
Best squid I ever had was at Phamish. I swear nothing beats it
Hi NQR – I tried to vote for you but I got a message saying the poll had been ‘deactivated’ so I guess I’m too late
I’m sorry!
Even though I am a pretty new reader (cooker!) I think your blog is the best – a poll is about people bothering to click, but the glory is in people coming here and loving your work
HAHA, I sound like a motivational speaker
OH MY GOD – I just realised I wrote NQR… not NQN … that was terrible of me! I’m so sorry… :/ Not Quite Ramsay?
Hi Tish-Great minds think alike!
Ah what a pity it’s not still there but that’s a great tip indeed. Polenta is great on the back of a pizza to make it crispy so I can completely see how it would work! Thankyou so much Tish! 
Hi Madison-Thankyou so very much!
Haha me too!
Hi Astra-Thankyou so much for your vote and what a lovely compliment! I really appreciate it
Hi r-Ahh ok, thanks, I’ll give it a try if I go there!
Hi Jorden-Thankyou so much!
Hehe yes it’s interesting and quite a nice texture with the jelly bits 
Hi pigpigscorner-Yes there’s nothing quite like it when it’s done well is there!
Hi Julia-There was definitely 2or 3 day lilies in the bottom but they were cooked down so they were “collapsed”
Hi Johanna-Thankyou so much!
I think S&P squid is probably the best introduction to it for your first time 
Hi Sara-I try not to eat too much fried food too but I can’t say no to this
Hi snookydoodle-Wow, thankyou so much for the lovely compliment!
Hi Geoff-Ahhh cool! I didn’t know his name and I thought that referring to him as the “Pure Evil guy” might give off the wrong impression
Ahh ok so in the one plate?
Hi mick-I have had it there and I agree, it’s very good indeed
Thankyou so much!
Hi grace-Hehe cool! Although I admit I don’t often see it on the menu that often
Hi we are never full-I don’t know the recipe or their secret but I think there are quite a few good recipes out there
Maybe one day when I get over my deep fry/ oil splatter phobia I’ll do some!
Hi Vivz-I’ve heard about Phamish alot but never been. Maybe one day!
Hi Lula-Aww that’s ok, I forgot what time it finished (it was on US time) so when I checked this afternoon it was finished then too. But thankyou so much for trying!
Thankyou so much for saying that, it’s so lovely to hear that people like to read my blog. It really means much more to me than people will ever know!
Haha no problems at all Not Quite Ramsay is also correct!
Good luck with the awards NQN – you’d be a deserving winner. You’re very generous in letting us in on all your culinary adventures, and the delicious dishes and creative goodies never fail to make me hungry! Now I’m no longer in Sydney, it makes me homesick for the good food.
Just had to put my two cents in: the best salt and pepper squid is at Canton Noodle House (Burwood and Hurstville). Addictive stuff. Sorry to those in the know, the secret’s out!
it’s actually st johns AVENUE, but i’m sure everyone will find the place anyway.
if you go again, try the chicken and salted fish hotpot – very comforting.
the daylily dish must be a favourite of the owner’s because she likes to recommend that one to me whenever i don’t want to think about what to order.
xxoo
i can’t read this and pop in my five cents worth. it was only the other night hapi and i had salt and pepper squid and declared it the best we had ever had. piping hot, incredibly tender and delivered to the table minutes after it was ordered. don’t know the name of the restaurant, but do know it is opposite the seven 11 in beamish st campsie. we also always get the lobster there along with the chilli eggplant. the place is busy at midnight on weekdays – which only makes us suspicious – but it has never disappointed. if you do venture south, don’t expect anything by way of decore! it is seedy and oh so chinese.
Hi tactics-Thankyou so much! That’s so nice of you to say, super lovely in fact
Ahh cool, thanks for the recommendation! Will try it if I’m in the area 
Hi lynn-I’ll change it then although it’s a pretty big street and right near the station. I will give it a go if I go there again, thanks for the rec! Ah perhaps the day lily is their specialty-I have to admit I’ve never seen it on a menu before!
Hi cath-Oh cool, thanks so much for the rec! Sounds great and wow, busy on a weekday at midnight?!
I think the first time I had salt and pepper squid post drinks somewhere in Sydney (I was too inebriated to remember where we were). I haven’t seen it on menu’s as much here, so I’ve taken to just making it at home.
Hi Marc-Haha it’s the kind of thing that is quite common on the menu here but is often greasy and done poorly! Yes making it at home ensures that you get freshness
The BEST salt and pepper squid I’ve had is at Vietnamese restaurant Vinh Loi in Newtown. Very lightly battered and unbelievably crispy!!!!!!!! Everyone I’ve introduced to this restaurant are now regulars! You won’t be disappointed.
http://www.vinhloi.com.au/
Hi S. Canadi-Interesting, I can see it’s mot battered but floured which I quite like. Thanks for the rec!
Hi NQN
You should try the salt pepper squid in Kingsford Chinese Restaurant
They are the best!
Hi nina-Cool, thanks for the recommendation!
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