I wanted you to be awesome. I really, really did. But unfortunately what I ordered really didn’t measure up to the awesome that I was anticipating. I just wanted a taste of New Orleans on my palette.. The grit, the soul, the jerk. Not that I remotely know what New Orleans tastes like, but I’m pretty sure it’s far from what we get here in Australia.
Idunno, maybe my fidgety, unsettled two month old baby ruined the experience.. Or maybe it was the gumbo. Or my bad hair day. Or the fact that I managed to cut all my fingernails but got sidetracked and forgot the pinky and I was walking around with just one long ass pinky fingernail which probably had people thinking that I purposely did that so I could pick my nose with it. Idunno.
For starters, we got the Popcorn Shrimp with Cajun Mayo which was good, I mean, the taste was on point but the texture probably could use some improvement. Ever since having had the best Buffalo wings at a food court in Atlanta (of all places), I tend to compare all things that have a batter to those heavenly wings. The Popcorn Shrimp just had no crisp. It was so uncrispy, it probably didn’t even need a batter and should instead be renamed “soggy shrimp”? Idunno, just a suggestion. But hey, I’m not complaining about the taste cos that was pretty good.
Okay, this is when things went a little awry. We ordered the Pulled Pork Po’ Boy and the Chicken and Andouille Sausage Gumbo. I never got around to tasting the pulled pork cos it looked pretty bland and I’m not a fan of BBQ sauce, but I could tell by my partner-in-crime’s facial expression that he was less than impressed. Maybe up the presentation ante and juice up the pulled pork a bit? Idunno. Just a suggestion.
I’ve never had gumbo in my life before and I don’t even know what it’s meant to taste like, but the amount of salt in that dish needs to be turned down a notch. After several spoonfuls it started to feel like I was gulping down sea water. Hey, at least it gets people buying drinks, right? It’s like when you buy popcorn at the movies, you can’t eat it without dying of thirst.
All in all, I liked the shop front and the interior décor, but I wasn’t huge a fan of the food. Maybe I’m just a noob and don’t know what the heck soul food is even meant to taste like. Maybe I just didn’t order the right dishes once again. I have that problem when I hit up places with heaps of hype and then I set myself up for PMD (post-meal disappointment).
On a positive note, the service and staff were great. You get table service out the back of the shop in Huey Long’s bar area and the ambience there is pretty chill as well. The girl who was serving us was super friendly and explained the menu to us noobs in great detail.
After our meal at Po’ Boy, we walked across the road to Smith Street Alimentari and I got myself a créme brulée custard tart and a Nutella cruffin. The sweetness balanced out the amount of salt I consumed and soon I was at peace again.
If you’re keen to give it a go, check it out:
Po’ Boy Quarter
295 Smith Street, Fitzroy
Melbourne
3 comments
Hey,
Thanks so much for the comment.
I am currently in New Orleans. In fact, i come here twice a year and have done since i lived here in 2011.
So, i know the food very well. & while i am sorry that your pop corn shrimp was soggy, as it certainly should not be, but we are here alot and know the food.
Yes its possible that staff may have overseasoned something, and im sorry about that, but its pretty bizare to comment negatively on the food, when you havent been there.
Also, comparing us to other places in Melbourne is wrong too, as us & Girl w/ the Gris Gris are the only New Orleans placees (le Bon Ton is not New Orleans – even say so them selves).
Our new smoker has produced much smokier and richer pork than our old machine, so maybe that was a problem.
We also make our BBQ sauce from scratch, as we do everything in the store.
Our gumbo is a very rich and thick cajun style of gumbo. It is not to everyone’s tastes, but we have people from Louisiana come almost every week who say they love it.
Thanks for your feedback, im sorry we were not able to make your night. I just thought i would give you some feedback.
Hi Michael,
Really appreciate you taking the time to respond. It is true that it’s unfair for me to comment on New Orleans cuisine when I don’t know much about it, perhaps it just wasn’t to my taste or what I was used to. The gumbo was a tad too salty for my liking, but that’s nothing that can’t be corrected because other than that the taste was great. As was the popcorn shrimp, apart from it being soggy, it was delicious.
But hey, I’m always open to giving things another try cos once is not always justified. I’ll be coming back for other dishes on the menu, I do hear great things about the Po’ Boy!
Hi, Thanks for replying to my comment. I think however your Zomato review and particularly your rating are unfair, as you clearly state you do not know the food. Also, you never addressed the issue about the fact you didnt order the popcorn shrimp, you ordered the buffalo shrimp. An entirely different dish.
Your first paragraph is wrong. It is not far from what we get here in Australia. The food we serve has been qualified by alot of local New Orleanians. They have given us incredibly good feedback and we now have a good reputation in New Orleans.
Regards
Michael