Walking into the red-walled Huanggang Village oasis of New Orleans Kitchen, it’s obvious effort went into capturing the vibes of the restaurant’s namesake city. From the bright feature walls to the chandelier made from trumpets, the rectangular space – which sports a humble bar and outside seating – is homage to The Big Easy.
Visiting during Mardi Gras, we are handed bead necklaces and encouraged to start the night with a RMB45 hurricane cocktail, an icy mixture that masks four ounces of rum with passion fruit juice and grenadine.
The menu winds its way through New Orleans and Southern cuisine without major surprises, though there is an effort to weave Cajun ingredients into even the pizza and pasta, which sport Cajun spices and crawfish.
We start with the Cajun chicken salad (RMB45), which comes topped with fiery meat. The dish arrives on our table, huge and reasonably priced for the portion size – as does every dish we try. A second starter, the RMB55 fried okra, doesn’t overwhelm with the spices but lacks the expected crunch.
No Cajun eatery would be complete without New Orleans’ most famous dishes. The jambalaya’s (RMB75) rice, shrimp, chicken, onion and Andouille sausage makes deft use of cayenne pepper and paprika, but is missing ‘holy-trinity’ ingredients like bell pepper and celery, making it a minor let down.
The RMB75 shrimp gumbo, on the other hand, is a masterclass of buttery richness, with plump shrimp, Andouille sausage and okra plated around a serving of rice. Each savory bite is followed by a Cajun-seasonings kick. If you try anything here, try this.
Though service is attentive, it is also chaotic. We are asked four times what we want to order. Such is the state of many new restaurants, and we hope the kinks get worked out before our next visit to what is likely Shenzhen’s only Cajun eatery.
Price: RMB150
Who’s going: homesick Americans, Jazz aficionados
Good for: New Orleans-style gluttony, heavy pours
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