On Bourbon Street, Devonport

Reviewed by BRENDA WARD for canvas

Ain't never been to Louisiana, ain't never caught me a catfish, but yessir, I have been on the business end of saxophone and I do like to hunker down with some sweet southern jazz. So I found me a man and a couple of friends to drag down to On Bourbon Street in Devonport one fine night, on the hunt for New Orleans food, music and ambience.

So there ain't no swamp within hollering distance of downtown Devonport and there certainly ain't no French Quarter, and what we would find, we just didn't know.

In the bar, there weren't no jazz. In the lounge there weren't no machez amios (and who knows what they are?). But on the menu, the words of the song, "Jambalaya, a-crawfish pie and a fillet gumbo" suddenly made sense.

Buried in leather couches in a brick-lined perspex-roofed courtyard, we scanned probably the most novel menu we'd seen in ages while we waited for our antipasto platter. Yes, there was jambalaya, yes, there was a Louisiana gumbo and for the crawfish-pie addict there was a Santa Fe seafood stew. The fish was blackened. Even the salad was cajun.

Still we scanned. Noted a dead sax on the wall. And a truncated trombone. And scanned. Plates arrived. Small talk faltered. Still nothing to put on them.

When the platter ($18.50) finally arrived it was a yummy mix of European sausages, dips and breads, and was devoured in indecent haste. Oh, me, oh, my-oh.

The Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc ($36) glided down smoothly over another prolonged chat session as we waited for our mains.

In the brick-walled dining room, after a tussle over the jambalaya ($22.90), Tim and I settled for going splits in this spicy bean stew with chicken and andouille sausage, and the saucy Sabroso Chicken Medallion ($21.50), tender and fragrant. The jambalaya won hands down for both of us.

Eleanor's chargrilled Cajun chicken caesar salad (a bit schizophrenic, $15.50) was a tasty mix of cos, poached egg, croutons, bacon, capsicum and tomato with a sprinkling of parmesan and a nicely savoury anchovy dressing. Bruce's gumbo ($24.90) was scrumptious, a rich blend of seafood, chicken and andouille sausage in a roux sauce. Son of a gun.

To finish, even though there was no bayou, there was Mud Pie (like all the desserts, $9.50), a cross between a rich mousse and a chocolate cheesecake, which two of us devoured. Staying with the south, I just had to order pecan pie, stickily delicious but rather scant in the pecan department. Eleanor elegantly ended with a simple icecream dessert and avoided feeling overstuffed, like the rest of us.

If you have a hankering for New Orleans food, this eatery is unsophisticated and hearty. Allow loads of time. But it was 9.30pm and still no jazz. But wait ... then a three-piece set started playing Bread's Baby I'm A-Want You.

Hardly jazz. Goodbye Joe, me gotta go.

Ambience: Pub meets New Orleans cobbled lane.

Cost: An antipasto platter, four main courses, four desserts and a bottle of wine, $177.30

* Read more about what's happening in the world of food, wine, party places and entertainment in canvas magazine, part of your Weekend Herald print edition.