Kettle

We were looking for a place that was good yet affordable.  On our way to check out the restaurants on the East Wing of Edsa Shangri La Mall, the first one that caught our attention was Kettle.   The last time we were in the mall, the place was packed.  We had already had lunch then so we didn't get to try it.  This was our chance.  Looking at the menu, the price range really did not fall under the affordable range but we reasoned that if we didn't order too much we won't be in for a bill shock at the end of our meal.  Our little boy's assertions that he wanted to try the place sealed the deal.

For our starter, we ordered the Clam Chowder.  Hubby and I split it so they served the sourdough bread separately.  My first thought was that the portions were very small.   When we tried it the taste and texture was nowhere near the ones we tried in San Francisco.  For one thing it was watered down instead of thick, and the taste of milk was evident.  Still, it was their version of a delicious Clam Chowder.  Even my son liked it with the clams, which ended with him eating most of mine and hubby's share.  The bread was also pretty good specially when we dunked pieces in the soup itself.  In short, it wasn't authentic & there wasn't much of it,  but it was delicious.

One of the reasons the little boy wanted to try the place was because he heard that there was burger in the menu.  Since we were already planning on going to a burger place for the next day we bribed him with the Buttermilk Fried Chicken instead.  Thankfully he liked it specially the crispy chicken skin.  I tried their order too and what I liked most was the gravy and corn bread.  The food was a bit pricey but considering the size and heft of the chicken which was boneless, it evened out.

My order was the Shrimp Po' Boy.  I've seen it written down in menu's in the past and also read about people raving about it but have never personally tried it.  I asked the server if the sandwich was good (as if he was going to say if it tasted bad) but he said that it was actually their best seller in that category so I decided to go for it.  Since I don't have any comparison for taste I must say that it was good.  Not great enough that I would totally go back for this but good enough for me to have enjoyed eating it.  The shrimp was crispy on the outside and just right on the inside.  I dislike over cooked shrimp coz it turns to mush so I was glad this one was perfect.  The overall smell combined with that of the pickles reminded me of Disneyland. The bread was also crispy in toasted well sense and not because it's been left too long out somewhere.

Overall:
- The place was simply decorated which was one of it's charms. 
- The servers were attentive.  I liked how the left a carafe of water on the table to preclude the need for constantly asking for more.  In fact the servers were very efficient in refiling it in spite of the place being packed with customers. 
- The food wasn't cheap but it tasted good and the portions were acceptable, except for the soup.

Note:  We didn't get to finish the chicken and corn bread so brought it home.  We had it for dinner again and they still tasted good.