Lay’s Grilled Squid Flavour
After my previous review of the Grilled Pork flavour of Lay’s that is unique to China, I decided to give the other flavours a try, just to whet my curiosity. One thing I have noticed in general is that Chinese snacks tend to have flavours that usually hit stronger, and tend to last longer even after you’ve had them. For some snacks this is fine, but for others, not as much. Grilled squid is a hallmark food in Asian cuisine, so this seems like a safe choice assuming it’s done right.
Regardless of what the ingredient label might say, the first thing I’m reminded of cumin. I guess when I think of grilled squid these days, I think of the Japanese style one where it’s got a sweet sauce or glaze on it while being grilled. These don’t so much have a sweet smell to them, but more of a spicy, aromatics smell to them.
Beneath all the strong spices, I can get a hint of that squid flavour. It does remind me a bit of grilled squid, but specifically the Chinese style grilled squid on a skewer, where it’s basically bathed in cumin to the point that it kind of covers the taste of the meat. It’s to the point where you’re really only tasting the texture of the meat, and it wouldn’t really matter what the meat actually is. It’s fun at first but it gets kind of old fast for someone like me, who isn’t much of a spice fiend or someone who likes to be exposed to strong flavours for prolonged periods. A bite or two is fine, but when it’s a bag of chips, that’s a different situation.
Similar to the other flavour, the after taste is strong. The flavour of these will stick with you for some time. My preference is lighter flavours that don’t stick with you for more than a few minutes, but I imagine some people like it. I figure that’s why they do it.
The texture is the reason I came back. Having had the other flavour, the texture is very similar. It’s a very crunchy, and very solid, dense chip.They are fairly thick and have those nice, deep distinct ridges to them. I don’t remember noticing this with the other flavour, but this one looks like it was deep fried twice. I say that because the texture is crunchier, and it has a more brownish hue to it. That and the pieces have visible bubbles to it, which remind me of snacks that have been deep fried twice, or for longer. The texture of these is still the reason I come back.
While I love the texture on these, I’m not sure I can handle the strong flavour of these. The bag is the same size at 70g, but I could only get through half the bag before I had to stop and chug some water. The flavour is a little much for me, but it’s good in small quantities. While I wouldn’t classify them as spicy, the heat builds very quickly, and might cause you to feel a bit warm, but nothing to make you sweat, I wouldn’t think. These are good for that initial try, but I’m not sure it’s worth more than that.
