I had been interested in visiting the Plaquemine Lock pub, which serves Creole and Cajun food. I love Cajun food – especially blackened dishes. The Plaquemine Lock (formerly the Prince of Wales pub) is a tribute to owner chef Jacob Kennedy’s grandmother who was born into a famous Louisiana family in the town of Plaquemine near Baton Rouge. I went to New Orleans a few years ago with my sister, brother and sister-in-law. I loved the po’ boys we had at Traceys but never got close to the blackened chicken I was hoping for! I thought sharing a po’ boy would give me enough of a taste of the food to know if I’d go back to the Plaquemine Lock.
There were no fried oyster po’ boys on the menu and to me this is the quintessential version. There were, however, fried shrimp po’boys but I decided to skip them.
We ordered a lunch special of a beef debris po’ boy with fries (£9) and an afterthought of the bourbon Tabasco maple wings (a small dish at £6.50). Both tasted quite nice. I have no argument with the flavours. My feeling is that London doesn’t, and maybe can’t, compete with the lavishness which is American cuisine. The hot-dog sized baguette, with the small portion of gravied meat and sedate slice of pickle, lettuce and tomato, and swirl of mayonnaise doesn’t satisfy. There’s no gravy or mayo dripping down your hand. There’s no big punch of anything here. It’s dainty and that’s not what this style of cooking should convey. The fries were nicely seasoned and are about the size of a small McDonald’s offering.
I went home and checked my photos of the memorable Tracey’s lunch and this made me even sadder about what I’d had. So bottom line – tastes nice but still disappoints. Be braver, Jacob!!
