Mamou: Cajun Country for the Contemporary City

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The small town of Mamou is located in Evangeline Parish at the heart of Louisiana’s Cajun country. The city, famous for its musicians, has been labeled the “Cajun Music Capital of the World.” A similar title should be created for its food, which packs as much excitement into its flavor as a Mardi Gras parade.

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It is this town that Chef Paul Martin proudly calls home. It is also this town that has inspired Martin’s newest place of business. Located at 102 South 13th Street, replacing The Corner in Midtown Village, Mamou is the latest addition to the Philadelphia foodie scene. Owner Tony Rim celebrated the restaurant’s opening this past Monday with an evening Launch Party, complete with samplings from Martin’s menu and cocktails from lead bartender Bohdan Darway.

Rim explains that the decision to open a Cajun restaurant in Philadelphia had a lot of thought and care behind it. “Several months ago, when we decided to reconvert [The Corner], Paul and I ran through many ideas for potential new menus,” says Rim. “After exhausting almost all of our options, I finally turned to Paul and asked him, ‘Well, what do you really want to cook? What is it that you have the most passion for?’ His immediate answer was Cajun cooking, the food he grew up with.”

In an interview with philly.com, Rim describes Mamou as “rustic Louisiana country translated for a contemporary urban audience.” “The restaurant is in a very hipster part of the city, so we wanted to give the menu a more urbanized presentation.” However, Rim stresses that by no means does this detract from the originality of Chef Martin’s food.

Chef Paul Martin
Chef Paul Martin

The Cajun cuisine is prepared in the style of South Central Louisiana, which Martin explains is an area with a lot more French influence than places like New Orleans. “The French were based in South Central Louisiana for a long period of time, so naturally the food both there and here [at Mamou] reflect that culture.” Martin notes that Mamou’s menu consists of very hearty food: catfish po’boys, NOLA barbecued shrimp, roasted pork, crawfish fritters, and skillet roasted Louisiana redfish, just to name several.

The menu is also balanced by lighter dishes, such as the mushrooms with peanuts, mirliton, herbs, and a nice vinaigrette. A particular favorite for Martin is the fried oysters, made with pernod, cream, tasso, sprouts, and tomato. “The flavors are really good,” he comments, “and there’s an elegance to them that very much comes from the French influence.”

The Launch Party featured more of the smaller dishes on Mamou’s menu. Guests were greeted with a round of oyster shots, crafted with a housemade pepper vodka and celery salt. Next came a round of crackers topped with whipped pimento cheese and garlic relish. The combination of sweet and savory flavors made the crackers an especially delightful snack.

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Boudin pork sausage with creole mustard and red pepper jelly

Waiters then delivered samples of Boudin pork sausage along with two kinds of dips – Creole mustard and red pepper jelly. For those who don’t mind an extra kick in the tastebuds, the mustard enhances the already piquant pork sausage. Those with a milder palette, however, will appreciate the jelly, which counterbalances the sausage’s spice.

Barbecued shrimp
Barbecued shrimp

The dish of the night was the barbecued shrimp. Another Chef Martin favorite, the dish is traditional in its preparation – grilled shrimp covered in a house Worcestershire sauce and topped with a cube of corn bread. It is Martin’s culinary skills that elevate this dish to exceptional quality in taste and texture.

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Behind the upstairs bar, Bohdan Darway served guests a sampling of his unique Cajun-inspired cocktails. A customer favorite was the Bayou Baby, a sparkling mixture of lemongrass tea infused vodka, ma cha syrup, and lemon. Many found the tang and sweetness of this drink incredibly refreshing. Another popular cocktail was the Fresh to Death, which combines tequila with cuke water, peppercorn syrup, lime, and celery shrub. Those who normally avoid the strong flavor of tequila will be pleasantly surprised by how sweet and light the drink tastes.

Darway personally recommends the Big Mamou, which he admits is the most challenging cocktail to make because it is done so in a hurricane style. The drink consists of aged rum, falernum, sugarcane juice, lime, and house grenadine “The Haitian rum and sugar cane juice give it a real taste of Louisiana,” he says.

Bohdan Darway preparing the Bayou Baby
Bohdan Darway preparing the Bayou Baby

It is that taste of Louisiana that makes Mamou a unique foodie experience unattainable at home or anywhere else in Philly.

By Carolyn Grace

Photos by Liz Hwang

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