Big Easy
There is so much praise or abuse which can be had from a name. On occasion, when I am at a lost for where to start a post, it provides a good springboard to enter the melee. Some places make it easier than other though. Such as “Big Easy”. It is supposed to denote a laid back attitude to life and conjures up images of jazz in relaxing clubs. Personally, it summons up images of sitting back with a beverage in one hand with soft blue tunes humming in the air. A most excellent place to unwind, especially after I have finished a particularly arduous day at work.
Perhaps this explains why, on a Friday night, it was packed to the rafters. A live band with a gentleman belting/crooning out lyrics also added to the atmosphere. Among the frantic day to day pace of Canary Wharf, it shines like a beacon, promising a place to unwind. It is perched on an envious place on the top of Canary Wharf Crossrail, giving a bird’s eye view over Canary Wharf. Most people only need to glance out the windows to see their offices merrily twinkling by and take solace in what they had escaped.
I had hoped that a fairly upmarket price brings discernment. However, I was to find that these do not go hand in hand. Similar to how I used to think that great political power was usually bestowed on rational, intelligent and civil-minded people. Yet, it seems that today’s politics show that narrow, short-minded and selfish qualities seem to be prized in the upper echelons of society. Before I can devolve into complaining about this subject, which I can easily do at length, let me tell you a bit about the food.
Taste-O-Rama! Pit-Smoked Bar.B.Q Chicken, Dry-Rubbed St Louis Pork Ribs, Carolina Pulled Pork. The ribs were so very dry and rather spongy to the touch. The chicken rather overdone. The pulled pork rather parch inducing. Together, all the meats tasted so rubbery, it almost seemed like it was particularly unskillfully microwaved. Taste-wise, there was little to impress too as it seemed that not only the moisture but the flavour had been leeched out of the meats. As for the sides, the salad was doused in generic white sauce and the baked beans looked like it had come out of a tin.
Fresh Lobster Mac ‘n’ Cheese. Creamy Mac ‘n’ Cheese with Chunks of Fresh Lobster Meat with fries and house salad. The lobster mac and cheese was creamy. So creamy that the lobster chunks seemed to have dissolved and the only hint that I was eating this crustacean was the somewhat soft and spongy texture. As for the taste, I certainly couldn’t get any sense of that under all the cream. Unfortunately, like many politicians of the day, it looked great, delivered rather less. The kindest way of describing this would be underwhelming. In contrast, the salad was a welcome relief. I approached it with the starved look of a man seeking a taste of something besides cream. It was good in that way that only neighbouring truly bad food can create. Although I am probably being a little too harsh here as at least the fries were good.
Yet, as I am sure others will be quick to point out, perhaps I am unable to appreciate the finer points of dining etiquette. As you need to trade off something if you want this type of humming, exciting and clubby atmosphere. Actually, I would agree. They just traded a bit too much. Maybe I am looking for the wrong thing here as the laid back manner of the Big Easy may have leached from the dining floor to the kitchen. That might explain the food.
A quiet eating 3/10.
Dinner (1 course) was GBP20 excluding drinks and service.
Crossrail Place,
London E14