Tikman Mo

It was a Sunday. We were in the Mall of Asia. It was time for dinner.

So many choices ...
Then we saw Gumbo.
It was not empty (it had a wonderful view of the bay)And Cajun cuisine is always a treat. So we tried it out.

Gumbo presents itself as a “ taste of New Orleans” themed restaurant. Its interiors are fairly well done in an American colonial style reminiscent of old Louisiana homes. An open kitchen dominates. The typical sounds of jazz and blues were in the air interrupted by almost musical cheerleader type shouts from the kitchen ... “ ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh seafood jambalaya” !!!

It felt like a multinational franchise. We were pleasantly surprised to find out that it was a pure Filipino operation. An affiliate restaurant of everyones fav Burgoo – much was expected from it.

The menu was dominated by typical Cajun (New Orleans) fare. We ordered Buffalo Chicken Wings (195pesos petite 295pesos grande), Umm ..Seafood Gumbo (175pesos petite 325pesos grande), Ahh ..Seafood Jambalaya (295pesos petite 425pesos grande) and Bourbon-Style Ribs (425pesos petite 795pesos grande).

The whole thing started wrong. The corn-on-the-cob was “panis” – we called the supervisors attention to this. She tasted it and did not contest the observation. She proceeded to hold mini-meetings with kitchen staff and other managers.

The gumbo was visibly pale – not the right color. The jambalaya was clearly too dry. The ribs were a waste of effort. The only redeeming point was that the cole slaw siding was good.

I guess the problem with us is that we are old enough to remember “New Orleans Restaurant” in the old Greenbelt, Makati which was a word-of –mouth mecca for Cajun cuisine aficionados. Also, we had been to many “New Orleans” type restos in the United States where we had originally learned to appreciate this type of food.

The verdict:
Sorry guys but I just really wouldn’t go back there myself.
I can feel Anton (“Our Awesome Planet”) smiling, and saying “I told you so ...”

Perhaps you will have better luck.
Try it ...as in the very Filipino way of – “pare, ang pangit ng lasa – tikman mo”.


Gumbo - A Taste of New Orleans
2nd Level, Entertainment Mall
SM Mall of Asia
Pasay City
556-0238 556-0239