For a better future, study the past.
Menu
For a better future, study the past.
Thank you for taking time to read my restaurant review of Voo la Voo Cafe.
New restaurants opening in New Smyrna Beach are almost a dime a dozen. Everywhere you look, something new is opening, many with an old, tired, theme and really offering nothing new for the diner. That’s why there were hopes for Voo la Voo Cafe, which opened just a couple of months ago in the old Auntie’s Soul Food Kitchen building on West Canal Street.
New Smyrna Beach didn’t have a French style restaurant (at least to my knowledge) until Voo la Voo opened. Owner Sylvie Le Nouail recalls making crepes from the age of six or seven. She and her family would make thirty or forty at dinner, having any leftovers the next morning.
My wife and I ate there on a Sunday afternoon shortly after they opened. Not so close to opening that the bugs couldn’t be worked out, though maybe they needed a bit more time. The first thing we noticed is the entry is not the most obvious. It is at the back of the building, near the sign advertising barbecue ribs, an item not in keeping with the menu. Can you order them inside, is this for take away only, and how much are they? These are questions I was unable to answer.
I noticed four things immediately upon entering the restaurant. The first was the heat. I don’t know if the air conditioning was not working, was set too high, or just couldn’t keep up, but the building was extremely warm. The second was that it was very loud inside. Most restaurants in New Smyrna Beach seem to have this issue to be perfectly honest. The large influx of new residents do not seem to eat at home. Good for restaurant owners and workers!
The third issue was the cramped quarters at the front entry. If you will notice in the photo, the food pick up window is right at the register area and the entry door is right behind where the photo was taken. This could easily become a bottleneck of servers, bussers, and guests. The final immediate takeaway for me was that I just didn’t sense this to be a French restaurant.
Everything was neat and clean and there were no kitchen smells which can sometimes take over a restaurant. It appear there is an outdoor seating area, though with the Florida heat and regular threat of rain, this is not a great summer option. It might be nice in the evening if there aren’t too many mosquitoes. I was unable to determine if the outdoor area is dog friendly. If so, consider that a big win in my view.
We waited several minutes to be seated. There was no extended wait for a table. What was more concerning is that the limited staff seemed kind of flustered and there appeared to be no standard greeting. A host or hostess did not welcome us, but rather, our server ended up seating us.
It took a while for our server to get back to us and in the mean time, another table decided they had waited long enough and left, leaving money on the table for their drinks, but having never ordered food. In the server’s defense, he seemed to be covering more tables than he should have been and he seemed a bit overwhelmed by everything.
We made our selections and were ready to order when the server returned. For me, the menu was a bit light on options. I wasn’t in the mood for sweet, and to be honest I am not a salmon or mushroom fan. I went basic and ordered the croque monsieur. My wife had an omelet.
Note: the menu image shown above was from our visit but differs from the menu shown online.
What you see in the images is what you get. The presentation is just OK. Mine tasted OK. It was good but it wasn’t the best ham and cheese I’ve ever had and for the price I was underwhelmed. The little side salad I could have done without to be honest. I would have rather had a bag of chips. My wife seemed to feel about the same on her meal. It was OK but nothing special.
We passed on dessert, which should have been considered a crime, however, we just weren’t feeling it after the meal and seeing the options at the front entry.
Look, eating out anywhere is expensive, I get it. Our bill for the two entrees shown above, two unsweetened teas (at $4.50 each we would never make that mistake again), taxes, and tip, was pushing $50. For lunch, $50 is really getting up there.
New Smyrna Beach is having an explosion of both population and restaurant options. Voo la Voo Cafe is currently unique in their offerings and poised to take advantage of this opportunity.
There are a limited number of tables so good food and service should be expected. From our visit, both need a bit of improvement. While new to the area, the owners are far from new to the restaurant industry. Their experience should allow them to right the ship, so to speak.
Would I go back? Maybe, if we were meeting friends for lunch and that’s where they really wanted to go. I don’t think I would go for dinner. There are other options in New Smyrna Beach that I personally would prefer.
