Best Food In China

Location

It is rare to find an American restaurant abroad that represents it country with food other than burgers, potatoes, and pizza. Yet, Nola café manages to offer a gourment-like twist to US food with its Creole based New Orleans fare. You can almost hear the Bayou calling.

Rather than burgers you get shrimp and grits and gumbo and jambalaya. Even the wait staff wonders why Nola doesn’t serve pizza, but nevertheless, it is a fun alternative. Chef Brandon is born and bred in New Orleans and has managed to present dishes influenced by Africa, France, Germany, and Spain, just like it should be.

The BBQ Shrimp and Grits, 55 rmb, is like a starch potato croquette infused with fried root giving it a strong peanut taste and coupled with a well spiced and garlic plump shrimp. The Duck and Andouille Sausage Gumbo, 27rmb, is filled with rice and meat giving it a hearty taste yet is strangely the gumbo itself is rather watery. The intense flavor and spice comes as a shock of a surprise. The Gumbo Z’herbs with White Beans and Braised Bacon, 25 rmb, is a puree shocked in hot and cold water, and includes carrot, radish, mustard greens, and arugula tops. It resembles a spinach puree but with a much milder flavor. It is creamy with chunks of bacon bits that splash extra taste. Both gumbos are hearty yet light.

The Roasted Sea Bass with Andouille Jambalaya, 95rmb, is tender and fluffy, yet has a nice lingering taste. The Jambalaya taste like a smoke paella and is coupled with a vegetable salad that is creamy and moist. The Roast Duck Roulade with braised apple and cabbage, 90 rmb, is like a crackling fatty peking duck combined with cinnamon apples that reveal the contrast strongly.

Of course Nola’s signature chocolate chip cookies are decadent and sinful, but the Banana Foster Shortcake with rum sauce and rum raisin ice cream is rich in rum and dry in shortcake. The break pudding has a nice caramel sauce to it that demands to be licked up.

The sausages, smoked salmon, bacon, ham and ice cream are all made in house, and the food I very reasonably prices, particularly the gumbos. However, the drinks are an actual steal. The wine by glass includes Annandale Chardonnay from Napa Valley for 32rmb and Les Foncanellas Merlot from Languedoc France for 29 rmb. Both are suitable to the food. The cocktails are innovative, daring and fun. The Mint Julep is nice at 35 rmb, but the Old Fashioned was the favorite, 40 rmb. It is sweet and citrusy. A surprise was the Ramoes Gin Fizz, 42 rmb, made with egg whites it tasted like frothy milk, bordering on shake, but had a strong celery center. The Za Zaerac Martini, 45 rmb, will knock you out with its absinthe. All the drinks go down too quickly and easily.

It is easy to see why Nola does so well in the land of rice. New Orleans is rice abundant and their own dishes include staples fish and rice with dashes of pork for taste. It is a perfect alternative to Chinese food without going overboard on Western cuisine. This casual yet cool place is where to go if you have homesickness for what should be considered the gourmet food of the USA.

-- by Larissa Paschyn

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