New Orleans Haus
by James Glazebrook
I visited New Orleans back in 2001 and, to my shame, didn’t eat any Cajun or Creole food. In fact, I’m not sure I ate anything, choosing instead to drink my bladderweight in beer until I fell out of my hostel bunk bed. I party so hardy. Anyway, it seems I’ve been given a second chance, because when we moved to Berlin, we settled around the corner from New Orleans Haus. Glowing reviews from the likes of Exberliner have sparked much debate about whether the place really provides an authentic Louisiana eating experience, but the ex-pat-twat naysayers are missing the point: they can eat GUMBO. In BERLIN. And if they happen to be football fans, they can watch the Superbowl there. They can even learn German for free there, if they want to complain about the less-than-ginormous portion sizes in the mutter tongue. I may not be an expert, but I loved the food – especially the crab cakes, cornbread and pecan pie – enjoyed washing it down with a Diesel (beer and coke), and reveled in the welcoming, homely atmosphere. We’ll be going back, real soon.