Gumbo: The New Orleans Food Fiesta Part 1: Appetizers

Okay, I guess I was kinda in a good mood today due to the fact that I finished my clearance that I decided to eat somewhere new with a friend. After roaming around Robinson's Place Manila for a while, we decided to eat on Gumbo in the Midtown wing. Why we decided to eat there was because of my whim of trying out something new (as opposed to eating out at Racks or Friday's where I have eaten and he hasn't yet), and because the lady who was trying to get customers to the shop gave us a coupon for a free burger if we ordered one of their main entrees.

We got seated near the window (they were out of cushioned sofas where I initially wanted to sit), and I guess the ambiance wasn't that bad. Our server (I forgot her name), was kind enough and suggested various things for us in the menus, but in the end we settled for something like a family meal wherein you get 2 appetizers and 2 main courses for 800php.

Freebie: Bread and Olive Oil

Okay, I I have to admit I like their bread. It was soooo crispy! I mean, you didn't really have to dip it in the oil to enjoy it as it was good in itself. *smiles giddily* I guess it was their version of garlic bread, since the oil had some of the taste of the burned garlic added to it.

Appetizer 1: Onion Rings

Yes, this picture was taken after we'd already started eating. The onion rings weren't crispy, but they weren't soggy either. As seen in the pic, they weren't oily either, which is a good thing for me. I didn't like the breading very much, but I think it tasted well with their dip (mayo-garlic dip, I think). Therefore, I was only able to eat it with the dip. My friend thought it was hard to eat a lot of it cause after eating a few the taste slowly becomes boring.

Appetizer 2: Buffalo Wings

The not too spicy wings were my friend's choice, since he wanted something hot (and yes, it was a disappointment to him the it wasn't as smokin' as he expected it to be). It was actually good, although the carrots which came with it tasted funny (I think it was with the peeling and cutting, they didn't get to cut all the bad parts). On the better side, the veggies were still crisp.

I didn't know the sauce which came with it, but my friend nixed the item after a taste. To assuage my curiosity, I also tasted it. Horrors of horrors, I thought it was spoiled! I called the attention of our server and asked her about the sauce. Since she was unable to answer my question adequately, I just told her it tasted weird and that it had things on the bottom of it. She then called the manager, which explained to us that it was tartar sauce with blue cheese. Cheese! I had to smile, since I honestly thought it tasted like mold (or what mold is supposed to taste like. LOL). After mixing the blue cheese evenly within the mixture, I found out that it was a taste which you could get used to.

First part of the scrumptious dinner done, main courses to follow.