Bayou. St. John's Pub

When someone came in to renovate the former pizza place on Esplanade in the wonderful little restaurant row in the Bayou St. John neighborhood, I was excited to see what it would be. This little 2 block strip is magical. Lights overhead illuminate restaurant spaces that are as delicious as they are charming. I was surprised to hear that it was a pub that was moving into the neighborhood. And that this restaurant is owned by a Brit from Charleston. I was intrigued. We had Andrew Bell (hence the name) on the show, and I was more intrigued than before.

It took a long time to get there. The Bell has been open now for 14 or so months. Andrew did a great job with the renovation. The cottage had become a pub with all the British touches one would expect in such a place. The outer spaces were renovated as well, and greatly expanded seating as alfresco dining. The porch has a few 2 tops  with a large amount of seats on the ground floor patio. The menu is a little limiting, and it’s one of the reasons it took me so long to get there. But I went resolved to find something on the menu beyond the one item that attracted me. That dish was the New Orleans version of the British Cottage Pie or Shepherd’s Pie, here called The Fishmonger’s Pie.

I went on a beautiful springlike day, sitting at a a small 2 top on the porch. Andrew came up and we had a conversation about the French fries. I aksed if the Fish & Chips came with house cut fries. He was reluctant to answer because he knew he wasn’t going to give me the answer I wanted. He said that he and the chef continually discuss this matter. The chef wanted to cut them in the kitchen for real "chips," and Andew wanted the fries I was served, potatoes the same way nearly everyone else does it: drop them into the hot oil from a bag from the freezer. Andrew explained that these were more like shoestrings rather than the thicker style that is traditionally British. And he told me the fish was Drum and fried in a light Tempura batter, which is traditional in Fish & Chips.

I was satisfied with this and ordered the Fish & Chips. And I ordered the Fishmonger's Pie. But first I got some Scotch Eggs as an app.

When the eggs came to the table, they looked quite different from what I expected. They were large, with soft hard boiled eggs inside. The exterior coating for the eggs was much darker and spicier than I expected. I asked Andew about the sausage, which is always wrapped as a covering on the eggs. He told me that the sausage was Patton’s Hot Sausage, which seems perfect for this area. I liked these quite well. I found the covering to be too dark for my taste, implying that the oil should be changed. But that was definitely not the case. The sausage was darker than I expected, but why would I not expect it to be darker, with its Cajun flavors? That was how it should be here, putting a New Orleans spin on British food.  

The coating outside the eggs and sausage was dense and dark, with the Patton’s sausage heavily coated with Panko breadcrumbs. Though I wasn’t expecting Louisiana-style spice in Scotch eggs, I thought this New Orleans fusion was creative and delicious.

The entrees came together. The Fishmonger’s Pie was a nice serving in a large ramekin for baking. I let this sit on the table to focus on the Fish & Chips.

This was a nice plate of food. The fish was a large and lengthy filet of Drum, lightly coated with the Tempura batter which was as light as Andrew had promised. It was made with rice flour, and though I was suspicious of the goodness of that batter, I quickly became a believer. The fish was greaseless and light.. Very crunchy too.

The fries that were part of this duo were basic frozen shoestring fries, but they were very good, as Andrew has promised. Ordinary fries from the freezer bag, but I had to admit these were good. Also on the plate was a large ramekin of mushy peas and a bottle of malt vinegar. I try to eat mushy peas, but never get past a few bites. This was no exception. I did do the malt vinegar, and I was glad I did, though I still don't get it. It also came with tartar sauce, which I enjoyed. This is New Orleans, after all.

The Fishmonger’s Pie was about what I expected. At first I thought the Bechamel sauce inside was way too thick. Then I realized that it was A Shepherd’s/Cottage Pie, so it was mashed potatoes. That was a relief. Inside were more of these too-large shrimp I’m seeing around town. They were cut up along with pieces of more Drum, with a sharp Cheddar on top. Under the cheese and on top of the potatoes was a thin layer of spinach.

This was all right but not something I would get again. I also appreciated this attempt at fusing British food with New Orleans food, but it didn’t work as well here as it did with the Scotch eggs. 

I love British pubs, and it’s nice to have one here. They are next door to a French place, and down the street from a Spanish place which is across the street from a Mexican place and in between two is a Middle Eastern place. One can stroll through the globe in a 2 block stretch of Esplanade. Not a bad way to spend an evening.