PATULA, NEW ORLEANS: RESTAURANT REVIEW
PATULA, new orleans
Review by Paul Oswell
Follow the sound of the clarinet riffs on Royal Street to find this discreet cafe. It’s tucked between the antique shops and buskers, and those art galleries where tourists buy paintings of jazz musicians they can't name. It's the kind of place you walk past three times before you notice it. I’m recommending that you notice it.
Duck up the alleyway just next to Krewe eyewear and you’ll find the kind of courtyard that New Orleans does best, tables arranged around a gurgling water feature. The sun just about finds its way over the walls, and those clarinet solos floating over everything. On a sunny January afternoon, it’s close to idyllic.
The team and menu here are as intriguing as the location, with owner and Chef Rob Tabone at the helm and some serious talent in the back. Tabone’s previous pop-up, Wood Duck, quickly gained fans with its esoteric bar food (think manchego cheese burgers with sherried onions), and it feels like Patula is maintaining that level of curiosity and invention. It’s a simple proposition here: an eclectic, international menu of small plates backed up with a surprisingly good wine list for a restaurant of this size and nature.
We couldn’t decide what to eat and so we had the kitchen just send out a few rounds of whatever they were excited about that day. Some of these were daily specials, but given the quality, culinary diversity and innovation on display, I don’t foresee disappointment on the horizon no matter when you drop in.
So much of this lunch was unexpected. Meatballs that briefly stop you in your tracks with a cheeky, light curry seasoning; a delightfully tart, vinegar-forward mocktail, and poached shrimp with a peanut chill crunch that had me idly reminiscing about beach bars in south east Asia. Briny Petit de Sel (little salt) oysters came out fresh as a de facto amuse bouche.
Two notes I made include items that I hope you can still experience. The first was the lettuce soup. Now, I had never heard of lettuce soup and I was expecting a watery, unfulfilling bowl of vaguely veggie-tasting liquid. Not the case. The broth was rich and seasoned, and it deftly hit the spot on a crisp winter afternoon. I am now a confirmed lettuce soup fan. The second was their jumbo crab cake, which enjoyed extra authenticity thanks to the regional expertise of Chef Rob’s Maryland-born colleague in the kitchen.
We also got through a succulent pork schnitzel, a Caesar Salad with vinegar-marinated, white Spanish anchovies, and a chocolate dessert that didn’t stick around long enough for me to write any thoughts down, itself a testament to its irresistibility. Sadly, the toad of work was squatting on my afternoon and so I didn’t delve into the wine list, but Team Patula’s reputation for great taste in this arena is solidifying all the time.
Keep this one in your pocket for the next time you’re out downtown and nobody in your group can think of an interesting place to eat lunch. A secluded courtyard (with an indoor dining room because sometimes it rains in New Orleans), jazz in the air and an adventurous menu from a skilled kitchen that loves to experiment a little: a solid escape from the culinary cliches of the Quarter.
Patula (619 Royal Street) is open Wed-Mon, 10am-9:30pm. Click here for their Instagram page.
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Follow the sound of the clarinet riffs on Royal Street to find this discreet cafe. It’s tucked between the antique shops and buskers, and those art galleries where tourists buy paintings of jazz musicians they can't name. It's the kind of place you walk past three times before you notice it. I’m recommending that you notice it.
Duck up the alleyway just next to Krewe eyewear and you’ll find the kind of courtyard that New Orleans does best, tables arranged around a gurgling water feature. The sun just about finds its way over the walls, and those clarinet solos floating over everything. On a sunny January afternoon, it’s close to idyllic.
The team and menu here are as intriguing as the location, with owner and Chef Rob Tabone at the helm and some serious talent in the back. Tabone’s previous pop-up, Wood Duck, quickly gained fans with its esoteric bar food (think manchego cheese burgers with sherried onions), and it feels like Patula is maintaining that level of curiosity and invention. It’s a simple proposition here: an eclectic, international menu of small plates backed up with a surprisingly good wine list for a restaurant of this size and nature.
We couldn’t decide what to eat and so we had the kitchen just send out a few rounds of whatever they were excited about that day. Some of these were daily specials, but given the quality, culinary diversity and innovation on display, I don’t foresee disappointment on the horizon no matter when you drop in.
So much of this lunch was unexpected. Meatballs that briefly stop you in your tracks with a cheeky, light curry seasoning; a delightfully tart, vinegar-forward mocktail, and poached shrimp with a peanut chill crunch that had me idly reminiscing about beach bars in south east Asia. Briny Petit de Sel (little salt) oysters came out fresh as a de facto amuse bouche.
Two notes I made include items that I hope you can still experience. The first was the lettuce soup. Now, I had never heard of lettuce soup and I was expecting a watery, unfulfilling bowl of vaguely veggie-tasting liquid. Not the case. The broth was rich and seasoned, and it deftly hit the spot on a crisp winter afternoon. I am now a confirmed lettuce soup fan. The second was their jumbo crab cake, which enjoyed extra authenticity thanks to the regional expertise of Chef Rob’s Maryland-born colleague in the kitchen.
We also got through a succulent pork schnitzel, a Caesar Salad with vinegar-marinated, white Spanish anchovies, and a chocolate dessert that didn’t stick around long enough for me to write any thoughts down, itself a testament to its irresistibility. Sadly, the toad of work was squatting on my afternoon and so I didn’t delve into the wine list, but Team Patula’s reputation for great taste in this arena is solidifying all the time.
Keep this one in your pocket for the next time you’re out downtown and nobody in your group can think of an interesting place to eat lunch. A secluded courtyard (with an indoor dining room because sometimes it rains in New Orleans), jazz in the air and an adventurous menu from a skilled kitchen that loves to experiment a little: a solid escape from the culinary cliches of the Quarter.
Patula (619 Royal Street) is open Wed-Mon, 10am-9:30pm. Click here for their Instagram page.
More New Orleans restaurant reviews
Our reviews of Michelin-recognized restaurants in New Orleans