Savored: New Orleans

Bourbon Street, New Orleans

We love to eat and we always eat out on Saturday nights after attending anticipated mass.  My mother suggested that we eat at the recently opened restaurant at the 4th level of Ayala Center Cebu Expansion, New Orleans, featuring Creole cooking. She saw one of her friends post it in Facebook and her friend attested that the food was good.

Sorry, the meals don't come with this guy

So here's the 411...

The interior

Location: 4th level of Ayala Center Cebu Expansion, establishments nearby are Starbucks, The Social, and adjacent to Island Seafood Grill (as mother would put it, beside where the boodle-boodle is)

Ambiance: Cozy but not noise-free because it's near The Social, music played inside is...jazz. I just have a hard time reconciling the large screen TV while the jazz band was still playing. The singers were really good though.

Crowd: I don't think 20 somethings would dig this place. Lots of foreigners though.

Interior: It would be dark if you're here for lunch. Lighting inside had a good dose of UV-ish rays (see photo on the food we had). Area is not that big with small tables, ideal for plated dishes. 

Service: Attentive staff, not pretentious, accommodating to both local and foreign patrons.  Cute and sexy uniforms (carnival-ish themed) without being gaudy.

Food/menu: With selections of salads, pasta, sandwiches, burgers, steaks, rice meals. I'm not that familiar with Creole cooking except for the Jambalaya.

Price: Php 65-1,000+

Voodobo rice (up close), tenderloin steak (almost done, to the left), Jambalaya

What we had: Voodobo rice, rice dish with adobo topping, mussels and pickled okra which is tasty and good if you're cautious in trying out Creole cuisine, good to share between 2-3 persons. Jambalaya which was good and spicy, also good to share between 2-3 persons. My father wasn't happy with how small the tenderloin steak was but at least he didn't complain of the taste, and it doesn't come with rice or mashed potato or any other side dish.

Would I eat there again? Certainly. I haven't tried their pasta and sandwiches which looked a lot compared to the tenderloin steak. And not to forget, dessert.

Overall, do give it a try because I personally haven't seen a similar menu to this one. But I think they should seriously consider the size of their tables to prevent accidents. Like for us, our meals were served on hot plates and we had to make sure that we didn't knock off our drinks. Maybe a happy-hour can draw in the younger set and dig in on their steaks and burgers. Bon appetit!