Gumbo: Chickening Out A Bit

For the sake of transparency, I just have to say that this is not my first time in Gumbo.  I just never really bothered to take good photos, but mostly, I just never bothered to write about it.  Now, I’ll be the first to admit that I have no idea what New Orleans cuisine actually is.  All I know is that I’ve recently watched the Cajun Country episode of No Reservations, and it’s a whole pot of American, French, Spanish, and a hint of African cooking.  I’ve never been to that part of the US, so all I really know are the gumbo dishes and the jambalaya.

Another thing I have to admit is that I love chicken.  It’s the safest meat to order in any establishment.  It’s most likely never to be under or overcooked.  It’s unlikely to be tough (unlike beef).  And most importantly, it’s most likely to be the cheapest.  This time, though, I think we overdid it.

Everyone gets a free bread dish from Gumbo.  It would’ve been great if it were served before the dishes actually come out, but the bread was still surprisingly hot and fresh.  The thing here is the olive oil and the garlic cloves they serve it with.  You’d think you’ll get an overpowering garlic flavor (not to mention bad breath) from this, but you seriously won’t.  Unless I’m now immune to my own bad breath.

They have a number of dishes to choose from from steaks, to pastas, and pizzas.  I have no idea what creole, or cajun, or N’Awleans cuisine is or if there’s any difference at all.  All I know is, pizza is originally Italian.  Anyway, first dish of the day is Grilled Chicken Limone.  Thing is, we got this dish for free because of some Metrobank or Citibank promo.  You had to order one Grande Entree and you get this dish.  Basically, this was grilled chicken with some creamy sauce served with lemon and asparagus.  Sauce was nice.  Chicken is grilled¹, which is almost always a good thing.  The asparagus was… How do I describe this?  Some strands were good.  Some strands were like chewing on a dental floss.  That’s really the best way to describe it.  Dish came with a side of fries² and buttered corn.

We got an order of O-Lychee Pitcher.  If you look at the menu, it’s under the Rue Bourbon section which is apparently “Drinks by the Pitcher.”  Anyway, this was just OK.  A bit too sweet, but there are chunks of lychee in there.  I think it’s the canned variety, but I’d recommend the Berry Lemonade instead.  I tried that before and for P295, that’s better value for money IMHO.

Now if you go to a place called “Gumbo,” you have to try their gumbo, right?  We got their Umm… Chicken Gumbo³.  I guess this dish is the most associated with New Orleans cooking.  They serve it with andouille sausage (see the French influence), Cajun veggies, and grilled chicken breast.  Now you see where this is going?  Tasted nice, soup-y, and topped with a scoop of white rice (which I saw in No Reservations is how they do it over there).  I chose this over the seafood variety because I just didn’t feel like having rubbery squid.

But my absolute favorite dish has always been the Ahh… Chicken Jambalaya.  I could seriously care less for the other dishes.  For me, this is a must-have.  Again, no idea how close this is to the real thing.  No idea why they have the “Ahh…”  And no idea if the price is really what they charge over at the US.  But I’ve made no secret about loving a good carb, especially a great rice dish; and this is just what I’m talking about!  Put a little music and you’re good to go… just like a horny 17-year old.

Overall, good (not great) place.  Mall places are generally mediocre or bad, but the jambalaya is really worth going back for.  At least for me.  I’d give the creole a shot for my next visit.

The tables are a bit cramped and they have this corny bit of cheering when one orders a jambalaya.  But I really just hate that cheery stuff in general, so I’m not holding it against them.  Service was OK, but we did hope that they brought out some dishes (like the bread) first before everything else.  Service was OK, but they did seem to have more chefs / cooks than servers.

Gumbo: Chickening Out A Bit 2011-09-05

or the sake of transparency, I just have to say that this is not my first time in Gumbo.  I just never really bothered to take good photos, but mostly, I just never bothered to write about it.  Now, I’ll be the first to admit that I have no idea what New Orleans cuisine actually …