Located at Legaspi Street of the then newly burgeoning Greenbelt area of Makati, it was a mecca for lovers of jazz and cajun cuisine.
Many of you still remember that ... don't deny
I can still picture you snapping your fingers and swaying your heads to the beat of Louis Armstrong
"I see trees of green -red roses too ..."
Hmmmmmm "what a wonderful world" and time that was ...
Sadly - the resto/bar was gobbled up by the rapid development in the area and eventually faded into the territory of fond memories after a 12 year run.
It was missed terribly
This week - almost a decade later - it has resurrected itself.
It's about time ...
Welcome back
Raymund Magdaluyo of the Red Crab group has partnered with his grandfathers best friend Murray Hertz of the original Greenbelt resto to open "Murray's New Orleans" at the Global City's Bonifacio High Street.
It was its first weekend
Soft opening
A 5-man brass group greeted us with ... "Oh when the saints ... oh when the saints go marchin' in "
A touch of Louisiana
A taste of New Orleans
An open air but climate -controlled bar area welcomed us
We chatted with the visibly proud Murray - the maaaaan
Raymund spent time explaining the concept
And the history ...
I listened as if I didn't know ... and told him that my father remembered the place :-)
Inside was a Bourbon Street setting
Complete with iron-grilled faux balcony ledges
And the wonderful touch of having cymbals on the ceiling acting as light reflectors cum shades
Cajun/Creole is a tricky cuisine
Despite the many variants of each dish, there is a certain correctness of taste that one expects if one would be a fan of the cuisine
This resto had it correct ...
Gumbo @235pesos
Oysters Rockefeller @320pesos
Bloody Mary Oysters @330pesos
Seafood Jambalaya @320pesos
Killer Lobster @443.52pesos
Baked Blackened Chicken @308pesos
And a couple of Black Russians from the bar ...
Just like its namesake city in the United States
New Orleans has risen from oblivion ...
Check it out
Relive the legend
Murrays New Orleans
1F14 Bonifacio High Street
Global City, Taguig
Posts
9 comments:
Saw this when I had a birthday lunch with my good friend last week. I mentioned to him that we should've gone to New Orleans instead. He promised to take me there in December. Your entry only makes me look forward to it even more :)
Saw this when I had a birthday lunch with my good friend last week. I mentioned to him that we should've gone to New Orleans instead. He promised to take me there in December. Your entry only makes me look forward to it even more :)
Cathy,
I had fun with the food and the concept of this place. The whole thing of jazz, cajun cuisine and the memories that were evoked by an iconic 1990's brand, came together to create a wonderful casual evening.
daguldol
Sad to say, New Orleans it's not.
I had lunch there yesterday, and I was so looking forward to reliving the New Orleans days. What a disappointment this new place is. It's barely 2 months old now (they opened on October 8), but that shouldn't be an excuse.
First problem was the long wait. I walked in at 11:40 am and I was the only customer at that time. I ordered by 11:45 a.m. As a lover of anything-blackened, I went straight to main course (also because I expected the servings to be huge). I asked for the baked and blackened chicken. I waited, and waited and waited. I was very patient that day, as I was in no mood to pick a fight or make a fuss. Nobody there was mindful of the fact that I was waiting unreasonably long.
By 12:15 p.m., I called the manager and politely (but sarcastically) asked him if I could expect my food to arrive within the same day. Without a word form him, he runs off to the kitchen and out comes my chicken 5 minutes later. I was expecting that the chicken would have been sent out prematurely , and therefore undercooked, but no, it was actually overcooked and dry as the Sahara. It was so dry that every bite I took seemed to suck every ounce of liquid out of my body. Each bite parched my throat. It was so dry, that it took a half a liter of Gatorade to quench my thirst after I had left the resto.
In addition, the vegetable sidings of my chicken were cold. and undercooked. When I say cold, I don't mean that in a room-temperature way. I mean it in a cooked-yesterday-and-stored-in-the-chiller-but-forgot-to-microwave cold. Needless to state, I did not eat much of my food (at most, I ate 1/3, which was comprised of the little remnants of dark meat in this quarter chicken).
I so wanted a refund, I paid for it anyway. All in all, It was a complete waste of my time and money.
I got no reaction from the staff or management. Not an apology for the wait, not a query as to why I didn't eat my food.
I am willing to give them a second chance, but not anytime soon. I hope Mason reads this. It's a far cry from what new Orleans was.
I am sorry that you had such a bad experience . As a matter of fact, I am sorry to start hearing more and more disatisfaction from more and more people about this place.
I myself had a "bad oyster" experience with them. The food quality is clearly deteriorating instead of improving.
Too bad
It has such a responsibility to carry on the image and quality of the original New Orleans resto.
I had brought up my concerns to Murray (the man) himself - and I had hoped they might have improved. But apparently not ...
As per your experience - even I will be staying away for a while. Thanks for the feedback.
My apologies for the bad lead ... :-)
daguldol
No need to apologize. I thank you for giving us so many leads. I'm a regular of your blog. I like your take on things, and I'm glad you venture out so much. Cheers!
No need to apologize. I thank you for giving us so many leads. I'm a regular of your blog. I like your take on things, and I'm glad you venture out so much. Cheers!
btw, if there's one creole resto worth going to, it's Gumbo's at MoA and SM City The Block. Although it has an American franchise approach to things (although it's a completely local operation, by the same group that created Burgoo), the food is pretty good. The dishes I've tried are large and choc full. The Gumbo, Jambalaya and Seafood Platter are just some of the dishes worth coming back for. Check it out.
I tried Gumbo@MOA in its opening week,and had a bad experience. Sounds like they have gotten their act together ...
I will go and try it soon.
daguldol
Post a Comment