The restaurant is very cozy and offers a magnificent setting overlooking the Kapu-Kai lagoon.

We are always amazed by the stunning location of the restaurant and the beautiful scenery its offers – the sunset and the view on the Isla-Mauricia is simply perfect!!

We arrived early (06:30 PM) and unexpectedly the restaurant was halfly full. I will suggest you booked a table in advance if you ever plan to eat there. For the dress code, smart casual attire is preferred since it is an elegant dining place. I will recommend a table that overlooks the bay, preferably on the covered terrace – it’s open and airy and you have a nice sea breeze and beautiful view of the bay.

Ordinarily, we used to order the same dish every time we go to Le Capitaine, but this time the owner advice us to try out a new delightful tasting menu, compose of fresh fish and seafood that is delivered to the restaurant every morning.

We normally start with a cocktail or two, however after having learnt about the new menu proposed to us by the owner, we decided to have a relatively light Rose wine by CÔTES DE PROVENCE (bottle is 900Rs)- it is a fresh and balanced rosé that captures the spirit of the Cote d’Azur with it exotic fruit and white peach flavors. This wine is to be paired with Provencal cuisine such as the one we were about to have.

We started our diner with the amuse bouche (a single bite-sized dish).  Amuse-bouches are different from appetizers as they are not ordered from a menu by the guests, but, when served, are done so according to the chef’s selection alone. It is served to prepare the guest for the meal by offering a glimpse into the chef’s approach to cooking.

The amuse bouche was composed of 1 piece of fried calamari, 1 mussel with cream garlic sauce and 1 piece of deep fried shrimp, accompanied with a roasted potato and beetroot puree.
It was very tasteful and an excellent choice to pair the mussel with the rest of the amuse bouche, as it provided an eclectic range of flavor: I’ve enjoyed the crispiness of the calamari and the beetroot dressing complimented it very well.

Mr. C, who is not a “fish-o-natic” (as you would surely recall from the previous reviews), really liked the calamari too but didn’t quite enjoyed the mussel which had a strong “ocean taste”.

With the amuse bouche came some warm buns – we had 4 of them upon request. As from what I’ve learned, the buns are not baked at the restaurant but came from a bakery. We needed to ask for some butter, which arrived at the perfect temperature.

The ambiance at Le Capitaine was wonderful; a nice sea breeze and some soft jazz sound played by a live duo. The waiter told me that there was live music every night except on Monday.

No doubt, that the beautiful scenery, cozy place with nice live music and great food is a recipe for success and indeed Le Capitaine is a great success story for many years now.

For the starter we had the baked crab meat with braised palm heart in a garlic sauce (470rs). It was a traditional cuisine delight. The crab meat and palm heart were in a perfectly balanced zesty garlic sauce.

The third dish was grilled lobster with lemon butter (about 245Rs per 100 grams). Lobster, butter and lemon – no one can go wrong with that combo, let alone a chef working for years at this prestigious restaurant.

It was so delicious! The only very small critic I can make is that the tomato and parsley decoration was getting tiring and is not needed in every single dish.

We had another dish coming up made out of fish but kindly request the waiter to ask the chef to prepare some beef instead. We were happy to hear that the chef agreed to make the change. We were served an Australian beef fillet seared in a tarragon sauce with some French fries by the side (about 560rs).

It was cooked to perfection – the beef was very tender, and showed off an abundance of deep, dark, and beefy flavors, accentuated by the robust tarragon sauce, and all nicely moderated by French fries on the side.

The last savory dish of the menu was a platter of seafood (about 1450Rs) consisting of seasonal fish, calamari, prawns, mussels and lobster in creamy garlic & lemon butter sauce.  The ingredients were very fresh and very very well cooked!

As for the dessert (strawberries, ice cream, chocolate…), it was very nicely cooked. With that, we were abit disappointed as there was nothing really special about it compare to the amazing, wonderful, tasty and delightful dinner we had.

The service was great and top to the point considering that the restaurant was completely full. The manager, who is working there for over a decade, clearly did a great job by coordinating all the action.

To sum up, Le Capitaine has acquired a solid reputation in offering fresh and delicate dishes, to satisfy the finest palate.  Prices are mid-ranged, but worth it. The staff of the restaurant is very good and courteous. Reservation is highly recommended. It is a great place to enjoy both lunch and dinner with some friends and have a unique dining experience, enjoying a tempting array of local and international specialties. Well done to management, head chef and the staff of the restaurant – Le Capitaine is truly one of Mauritius’ finest restaurant.

Comments:

There was a “parking guy” (not valet) who shows people where to park in the rush hours.

All the prices mentioned in this review are VAT Exclusive

The restaurant accepts all credit cards and cash in rupees, euro and US $ – Cheques are not accepted.

We were guests of the restaurant.

As this weekend Mr C and I spent the weekend at Lakaz Chamarel http://mauritiusattractions.com/lakaz-chamarel-hotel-13.html , so before checking in we went to Le Chamarel for lunch. The temptation was too great to resist

Don’t be put off by the never ending winding road to the top as it is well worth it, the view of the restaurant is stunning. At Le Chamarel restaurant you find a beautiful and comfortable restaurant with expansive views of the ocean below and the majestic mountains. It is located on a small plantation that grows and produces local coffee “Chamarel coffee”.

We were greeted at the front door by a hostess with a warm smile in a nice suit who told us the restaurant was full. We then entered the restaurant and found it really completely full- that moment I wished I would have made a reservation. Nevertheless, we agreed to wait 5 minutes on the bar.. We were then seated on their great terrace overlooking the sea

The design at le Chamarel is earthy, made of wooden chairs and tables with white table clothes. No doubt much attention is given to every detail and item in the restaurant.

At first, the service was good but not great, but I don’t think any completely full restaurant could have given better service. Three different people asked us if we already ordered before we actually received our drinks.

Once the restaurant became less full, service was amazing and we couldn’t have asked for more.

We started the lunch with a nice carafe of Rose wine (230Rs) and the complimentary warm buns and room temperature butter.

For starters we had the Smoked marlin and palm heart salad (Rs 395) and the tempura prawns (Rs 395). The tempura prawns were delicious, light, fresh and salty. They had us mmming and aahing, and Mr C and I both agreed we could have eaten a bigger portion of those alone for our lunch.

The  Smoked marlin and palm heart salad was attractively presented and a good starter. The heart of Palm has a very mild flavour, but it was a subtle taste presence in the dish rather than a complete void of flavour. It was nice, although perhaps it didn’t have as much wow factor as the other appetiser we’d already tried in our past lunches there.

For main courses we had beef fillet with pepper sauce (Rs 695) and barbecued spare ribs (Rs 650).

The grilled beef was tender to the bite and had a smoky charred edge and was flavoursome enough on its own. The chef put the peeper sauce straight on th beef and which wasn’t to my liking. I love the taste of meat, and as such, I strongly prefer to have the sauce on the side and then can decide what to do with it.

In addition, the steak was smaller than I expected – much smaller than expected.

I plead of restaurant manager to write on the menu how many grams the dishes are. It is unfair to leave it up to the client to choose a dish without knowing its true value for money.

This is only achievable if you know the steak of XXX grams costs XXX+VAT. This steak turned to be 250 grams, which made it a little expensive.

The Barbecued spare ribs are proper, thick-cut numbers, but with the tinge of pink all the way through that you only get from long contact with smoke. They were tender, but not so that they fall away from the bone. And they are properly sauced, in the sticky Texas style.

For dessert, we had the Chocolaté fondant (Rs 265). Chocolate lovers, this dessert is to die for! The dough was so light that it looked and tasted almost like soufle – and the hot melted velvety centre was like a never ending lava river of chocolate… Simply amazing.

I had been here three times before, and was always very impressed with the food and service. For us, it’s one of the better restaurants in Mauritius.

Le Chamarel is Nothing short of inspiring, perched high in the Black River Mountains, flanked by the shimmering turquoise waters of the Indian Ocean is Le Chamarel Restaurant.
Blending an exciting and mouth-watering selection of Mauritian and European cuisine, Le Chamarel Restaurant plays host to a spectacular culinary experience, well worth the visit – even just for the view!

Comments:

• All the prices mentioned in this review are VAT Exclusive

• The restaurant accepts all credit cards and cash in rupees, euro and US $ – Cheques are not accepted.

We were guests of the restaurant.

]]> http://reviews.restaurants.mu/lechamarel/feed/ 1 http://reviews.restaurants.mu/dining-al-fresco-le-fangourin-great-food-beautiful-garden-setting/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=dining-al-fresco-le-fangourin-great-food-beautiful-garden-setting http://reviews.restaurants.mu/dining-al-fresco-le-fangourin-great-food-beautiful-garden-setting/#comments Sat, 24 Sep 2011 08:30:36 +0000 debby http://reviews.restaurants.mu/?p=416 Mauritius is an ideal place to enjoy Al Fresco dining (eating outside). The temperature is ideal throughout the year. On any non rainy day, there is nothing like enjoying a great meal sitting in a beautiful garden.

This is exactly why when our internet crashed in our office and we learnt that the fixing will take quite a while, we decided to take advantage of the beautiful weather outside and headed for long lunch break with clear intentions to enjoy a good meal somewhere nice allowing us to enjoy some good fresh of air.

We chose the Le Fangourin restaurant; when looking back on our decision, it was definitely a good one.

Set amidst the garden of Beau Plan, Le Fangourin presents an exceptional setting: beautiful vegetation, open space a pool surrounded by luxuriant tropical flora, a veranda overlooking the central plateau’s mountains and a lot of birds chirping.

Upon sitting down, the waiter came to take our order and brought complementary garlic bread crisps and 3 types of mini salads:

• White Cabbage and vegetable salad

• Papaya and dried fish

• Tamarin sauce

  
  

  
  

All the above was nice and tasty. Regarding the Tamarin sauce, I found it a little strange to leave the pit of the tamarind fruit as part of the sauce. I am aware that many chefs leave the pit to enhance the taste of the sauce but I found it quite unpleasant to tackle it in my mouth.

Krishna (our waiter for the day – a very nice, gentle person) then brought our drinks order – a decanter of “2 oceans” Rose Wine (230Rs) which was chilled and nice.

The setting, the wine, the refreshing breeze together with the wonderful company of Mr “C” all were perfect.

Then quick after the starters arrived: Fresh salad with rock lobster, prawns, tropical citrus, mango vinaigrette and a touch of sesame oil (745Rs); Tuna fish Carpaccio with red peppers (295Rs).

The salad plate looked great and elegant, good, fresh seafood (lobster + prawns) tossed with light lemony vinaigrette and dotted with vegetables which was a great marriage…it may be the most healthful thing you can eat, full of good veggies and protein. Usually the salads in Mauritius are dressed with too much mayonnaise, but this one had no mayonnaise at all. It was very well balanced in taste, all products were fresh and the lobster was a true treat. Also, the dish was quite big, so Mr. “C” happily joined and quickly nothing was left. This was one of the best salads I had in a long logn while.

The tuna Carpaccio was very fresh and served with small fresh vegetables salads. This dish arrived about 5 minutes after the bread buns were served, so at this point I was still very busy tucking the mini salads into the buns and also spreading the bread with quality butter. The Carpaccio was dressed with lemon, on first taste I was immediately hit with the lemon flavour which was the dominant taste at first, then the tuna and red peppers proceed on the palette to make for a great combination.  This was also a good dish to serve while eating with the bread, due to the additional seasoning left on the plate, as this allowed one to take a sneaky bit of bread to “mop” up the remaining oil and juices.

For main dishes, we had the Risotto with sun dried tomatoes, various mushroom and fresh vegetables (315Rs) ; Fillet of tropical sea bass cooked in garlic and lemon grass butter, stir fried wok vegetables and kikoman sauce (395Rs) ; Lamb rack under a parmesan crust  with a rosemary sauce (650Rs) .

All three dishes arrived and were as beautifully decorated as the starters.

For all of us, when dinning the first sense which take place is the sight – our very first sight of the dish when it is places in front of us, then we can also smell the dish only after we actually get to taste the dish.

This is why plating and food presentation play a huge role in how we all experience food and at the Le Fangourin the chef is definitely a master in presenting each and every dish o perfection.

At Le Fangourin the presentation and plating are staples of the restaurant, as you can see here from the photos as part of the review.

The Risotto was sliced into very thin rings and it was incredibly tender. The risotto was properly al dente, and provided a creamy foundation of flavor.

The sea bass on first inspection seemed rather small. However once moving the fish I found this to be a very thick cut and I was immediately impressed with the crisp skin. The fish was cooked brilliantly with a great crisp skin and was accompanied with much success with the vegetables. This turned out to be a much more filling dish than I expected.

The rack of Lamb was nice, but not as nice as the fish and seafood dishes which are the speciality of the restaurant. The Lamb was cooked well and was good and tender, however there is no doubt that the Le Fangourin truly specialises in seafood and fish.

Desserts are especially impressive, mostly because of their home-made sugar which they turn into a beautifully decorated glazed caramel topping for all desserts.

Now don’t act surprised that I ordered the chocolate fondant (225Rs) as dessert, it was bound to happen.  When the waiter took our order for this dessert he was kind enough to let us know it was fresh and that would take up to 20 minutes to prepare, not being in a rush and having thoughts of hot melting chocolate on my mind, I really did not mind the wait.  As the minutes slowly ticked by my tapping feet got faster and faster until the dessert arrived. Yet again the plating was spot on and delicious to the eye, everything looked fantastic and even more important, tasted great. Moving on to the pudding through both myself and Mr “C” held our breaths as we cut into the cake to see if this was a true “Hot Chocolate fondant”, which it was….

The inside was incredible with the chocolate being moist, gooey, liquidly, and very runny, the outer cake had a slight crust which combining the 2 different textures was brilliant.  At this point I will say this was the best chocolate fondant I have ever tasted, with the rich dark chocolate working well on the palette, and when combining this with the ice cream which was surprisingly light and refreshing it just made for a fantastic combo. I can safely say that if you order this dessert you will be very happy!!! Overall a clear round 10 dessert!!!!

Service - The service was very efficient and kind. All went smoothly. It was clear the service is done as a team, everyone helping everyone making sure each client is catered with personal care.

Mr “C” and I will be definitely returning to the Le Fangourin with excitement in a few weeks time!

Comments:

• All the prices mentioned in this review are VAT Exclusive

• The restaurant accepts all credit cards and cash in rupees, euro and US $ – Cheques are not accepted.

We were guests of the restaurant.

]]> http://reviews.restaurants.mu/dining-al-fresco-le-fangourin-great-food-beautiful-garden-setting/feed/ 40 http://reviews.restaurants.mu/la-terrace-surehanded-comfort-food-great/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=la-terrace-surehanded-comfort-food-great http://reviews.restaurants.mu/la-terrace-surehanded-comfort-food-great/#comments Fri, 10 Jun 2011 05:07:03 +0000 debby http://reviews.restaurants.mu/?p=390 I am sure Mauritius amazes many people because of its beautiful views and its cultural diversity; this colorful diversity is also expressed in the Mauritian kitchen.

Each of the ethnic groups has a specialty of fine home food which is very tasty and offers true comfort. The famous Briani, Farata, rougaille and many other local dishes will undoubtedly ignite your eating desires even if you’re not hungry!

That is exactly why when tourists visit Mauritius, they are eager to discover the Mauritian dishes and the local cuisine. While some restaurants serving Mauritian Cuisine are expensive, the La Terrasse is definitely one of the best restaurants in term of value for money and I can say it offers great local food for cheap prices, and this is exactly why it quickly became one of our favorites.

On the day of the review we went to the La Terrace for lunch. As we have quite a big car, we found that it is quite difficult finding parking around, and the restaurant doesn’t have its own parking space/area.

The La Terrace has two floors- the ground floor with 2 tables and the second floor which is a big terrace where the majority of the tables are found.

We sat in the upper floor, as it was a beautiful day and we wanted to enjoy the breeze and sea view.

The only down fault was the noise coming from the street, but there is nothing the restaurant can do about it.

The dining room is comfortable with earthy tones and comfortable chairs creating a relaxed Considering how full the restaurant was, it was not too loud, but you could hear conversations from the tables right next to you, which was sort of a bummer.ambiance and providing a very homey feeling.

The waiter reproached our table immediately and gave us the menus asking us what we will have to drink.

I chose the House Rose wine (50Rs) and Mr “C” had a beer (50Rs), both arrived cool and quickly.

Then we ordered our dishes for the meal and a minute after, the waiter brought a basket of fresh pieces of baguette and butter.

We decided to order the Chicken Croquette (90Rs) and the vegetable gratin (150Rs) for starters.

When they arrived we thought the waiter made a mistake and brought the main courses instead of the appetizers. The portions were huge! For about 100Rs you get a starter big enough to be a main course.

Gratin is a widely used culinary technique in food preparation in which an ingredient is topped with a browned crust, often using breadcrumbs, grated cheese, egg and/or butter. The vegetable gratin at La Terrasse was made of calabash, cheese, tomatoes, breadcrumbs, cream and onion.

It was great! Nice mixture of vegtables, very well balanced spices and tasty cheese crust at the top. We both very much enjoyed this dish and I finished it off with the remaining baguette- what a treat!

Croquettes are small rounded foods usually made of minced meat, fish, or vegetable coated with egg and bread crumbs and deep-fried. They are commonly served with a cream or tomato sauce, and they are equally good plain.

The chicken croquettes at the La Terrasse were served with tomato sauce on the side. They were very nice, and the sauce helped enrich the flavor. The Chicken Croquettes were with the right amount of dough. The dish was of big portion and can easily be considered as a main dish, it was very good, and definitely worth the price.

For the main dishes, we ordered the grilled tiger prawns with garlic butter sauce (400Rs) and the fish Curry (200Rs).

Both dishes, like all the main dishes at the restaurant, were accompanied by rice, vegetables and salad.

The tiger prawns were very pleasant and seasoned well. The fish curry was simple and good.

For dessert we wanted something simple because the whole meal, from the starter to the entree was very rich and flavorful. So we opted for a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Our waiter was very pleasant and seemed happy to work at La Terrasse. He was not an exceptional waiter, but he was very adequate and all serving staff seemed well trained and likely well taken-care-of, based upon their pleasant and helpful dispositions.

La Terrace is always full and very successful. The reason for its success is due to its sure-handed mix of comfort food, very good prices, and generous portions.

I can definitely highly recommend on the La Terrance for anyone looking for good local food for excellent prices.

Comments:

• All the prices mentioned in this review are VAT INCLUSIVE

• The restaurant accepts all credit cards and cash in rupees, euro and US $ – Cheques are not accepted.

We were guests of the restaurant.

The Safran restaurant unfolds around an open kitchen, with Tandoori ovens producing gentle aromas of the Indian cuisine.

The restaurant design consist of open sides framed by chic wooden shutters which provide great sea views from the restaurant deck and at the same time welcome the refreshing sea breeze. Together with beautiful glasses, gold leaf plates, and with a contemporary design made with much attention to details, the Safran provides a designer-led ambiance.

When we sat at our table, we had a great view of the sea on one side and of the Le Touessrok’s hotel main shows stage on the other. In this sense, the hotel is designed very smartly, as the stage is placed in between the Safran restaurant and the main restaurant (the 398 restaurant), allowing everyone to enjoy this show while having their dinner.

The strategic location of the Safran restaurant above the main hotel level, together with its open sides design, creates a special unique vibe when dinning at the restaurant and also guarantees a gentle sea breeze of the Indian ocean during the entire meal.

The show was great, and the waiter told us that a show is up on stage every night. On the night we dinned at the Safran, it was a show of about 15 dancers and singers. The dancers changed outfits every so often, according to the tune of the music- ranging from suits to Brazilian costumes. The show consisted of dancing, live band performance, art pieces, acrobatics and many more. For both Mr “C” and I, it made the dinning experience very entertaining and special.

As for our meal, we decided to try the fixed price degustation menu, in which the 5 dishes are accompanied by 5 glasses of wines selected by the chef himself (3300Rs without the wine and 5200Rs with the wines INCLUDING VAT). At Safran it is called the Jugalbandhi menu. Jugalbandhi is a performance in Indian classical music that features a duet of two solo musicians. The word Jugalbandi means, literally, “entwined twins”. The Jugalbandhi menu offers a special duet of the wine and food which go perfectly hand in hand to provide an exciting dinning experience rich with flavors.

The only dilemma we had about having the tasting menu was that we read in one of the local magazines that the Lobster tail dish is one of the best dishes of the Safran and a “must try”, so we asked the chef for a possibility to include a small taste of the lobster dish as part of our menu, and happily for us the Chef agreed to do so.

The waiter then prsented us with 2 types of Papadum and some delicious sauces.

Something I can clearly say about the Le Touessrok that the hotel staff does above and beyond to accommodate you during your stay and they have showed maximum flexibility to any request we had, during dinner and throughout our entire stay.

…Back to the dinner…First we received the Tandoori home smoked spiced salmon, sided by chutney powder marinated grilled prawn. Like all the dishes we were about to receive, it was plated beautifully and looked like modern art.

Mr “C” who doesn’t like Salmon, hesitated if to give the salmon a try, but once he did so and had a little bite, I saw the wonderful amazement in his eyes – he didn’t need to say anything, but then he said – I love it. Needless to say I totally agreed. The smoky flavor enriched the salmon, and made it very moist and totally delicious.

Then we tried the grilled prawn. WOW WHAT A START! – It was so rich with flavors, tasted like paradise!! This dish was definitely one of the best (if not the best) dish we ever had in Mauritius.

This dish was accompanied with a glass of the G.H Martel Brut Prestige – Epernay. The combination between the dish and the Brut was perfect – as the Brut sizzled in the mouth and truly complemented the dish.

The second dish was the Pan seared sea scallops in spice crust, coconut with ginger scents sauce and grilled pineapple, and it was accompanied with Liliane Duboscq Bordeaux Blanc. Both Mr “C” and I are not fans of sea scallops, as they have a very strong taste of the sea. However, Safran’s pan seared sea scallops were very gentle in taste and it was obvious they were very fresh and made with much skill to a prefect cooking level.

The white wine accompanying the dish was very light, matching perfectly to the gentle taste of the scallops.

The third dish was the special addition of the lobster tail dish as per our request. The chef prepared a special tasting size dish of the Tandoori lobster tail with green pea & mustard ‘khichdi” with Pumpkin & curry leaf Porial (normal size main lobster tail dish is offered at 1750Rs).

The lobster tail was fresh, succulent, prepared perfectly and the flavors were great. There is no doubt that the lobster tail is the best part of the lobster, and this dish is a real heaven for any lobster fan. The Khichdi is a South Asian dish made from rice and lentils (dal). In this dish the chef had a personal touch preparing the Khichdi with mustard, which was a delight. The Porial is Stir-Fried cabbage with spices, and was served with pumpkin and curry leaf.

As this dish is not part of the standard tasting menu, we did not receive any wine to accompany it, But with 5 generous glasses of wine as part of this meal who can complain!

The fourth dish (third in the tasting menu) was the Kebabs, with mint coriander, chilly and ginger chicken salad, accompanied with a glass of Haute Cabriere Pinot Noir Chardonnay Franschhoek, South Africagreen.

The kebabs were very rich in flavor as they had so many spices, such as coriander leaves, mint leaves, green chilli, garlic cloves, ginger peeled, cloves, cardamom, cumin seeds, cinnamon and lemon juice. The meat was soft and juicy, and cooked to perfection.

The Haute Cabrière Pinot Noir has a unique elegance and balance, and fruitful intensity. It is refined, with a firm acidity and an abundance of ripe fruit on the bouquet and palate. As such, matched very well the kebabs and allowed their flavors to shine.

Then we were surprised to be served a Tamarind and curry leaf sherbet. This small dish is one of the little extras you get to enjoy as part of the meal when having the Jugalbandhi menu. The sherbet is made from water, sugar, flavoring, and milk or cream. The aim of this dish is to cleanse the palate before the main dish.

It had the most unique flavor I had ever tasted. I personally thought it was too overpowering and I had only a taste before offering Mr. “C” to have the rest of the sherbet. Mr “C” gladly had both sherbets in attar delight.

The choice of the sherbet was very wise, as Tamarind is such a versatile ingredient - sweet and sour and suitable for both sweet and savory dishes.

Then we were served the main dish as part of the Jugalbandhi menu, a Roasted rack of Lamb marinated with garam masala and yoghurt, lentil & lamb jus, saffron pulaom accompanied with a glass of Linderman ‘Bin 50’ Shiraz – Australia.

From my experience, a lamb marinated in garam masala which has been slow-cooked, can so often turn into a mush, but I guess the skilled hands of the Safaran chef, know better than that, and the lamb was cooked to perfection. The lamb was exactly how it should be, very rich in taste and at the same time retained its texture and bite.

With it came garlic nan and more homemade chutneys.

As for the wine, Lindeman’s is a medium full-bodied wine, with plum and dark berries, a rounded, seamless texture and hint of vanilla; nice on its own and worked great with the lamb.

Here I must be frank – at this stage I was already so full, I could hardly have one bite of the lamb. The way the tasting menu is set, is apparently perfect in the amount of dishes and their portions, and I guess the extra dish we had as part of the meal (the lobster tail dish) had its effect on me.

Mr “C” and I both were super happy to have tasted the lamb, however I left half of the marinated lamb on the plate and only wished I had the capability of an Elk in having the lamb in full and store it for “winter days”.

Full as I was, and as I always tell my friends and family, no matter what, there is always some place left for dessert. I guess I have a separate storing place in my stomach for desserts

The dessert was Mango Kulfi, a popular frozen milk-based dessert, which was served alongside “Gulab Jamun’, an Indian sponge cake in rich cardamom syrup.

The Gulab Jamun was very special. The chef succeeded to upgrade this traditional dish and update it to our modern times. The Gulab Jamun was made of a dark brown, cinnamon and cardamon-flavored cake-ball floating in a shallow bath of sugar syrup. The Mango Kulfi, was very light and refreshing and together, these two parts of the dessert worked incredibly well, as did the warmth of the doughnut-like cake against the creamy, cold Kulfi.

The Mango Kulfi was particularly well balanced – not too creamy or too light, not too tart or too sweet;

The accompanying wine to the dessert was the Bava Bass Tuba Muscato D’asti, Piedmont, Italy.

We ended this amazing meal with homemade friandises and a selection of freshly brewed coffee and tea which are included in the price of the meal.

Friandises is a French term for confections-such as truffles, mints or petit fours-served after the dessert course.

After the dinner, Mr “C” had to drag me out of the restaurant, as I couldn’t move. My stomach was so full, the wine made me tipsy and happy and I felt like I am on the top of the world. Luckily for us, our room was less than 50 meters away from the restaurant.

The dinner we had in the Safran was definitely one of the best we had in our life, and not doubt it is one of the very best Mauritius has to offer.

________________________

I would like to add several notes regarding the Safran Restaurant and its chef:

• About the chef : Ramesh hailing from Bangalore in southern India has experience in both traditional & contemporary Indian cuisines. Having been trained by Michelin starred Indian Chefs in London, Ramesh has taken Indian cuisine to greater heights & world recognition. During his culinary journey with Le Touessrok, he has traveled extensively to Europe to promote the contemporary Indian cuisine that has won Safran numerous accolades. Ramesh Bundi is ‘The’ star now at Safran and has elevated it to a new dimension, transforming the Safran into one of the most renowkn contemporary Indian restaurants in Mauritius.

• The manager, Mr Noel Marianne, was very helpful and showed everyone at the restaurant his personal care and professionalism. He personally greets every dinner, making sure each diner receives a personal dedicated service.

• The chef grows most of the spices and vegetables at the hotel garden. It is called the chefs garden, and everything at the restaurant is made fresh on the premises.

• As for the commitment to quality it is everywhere – the staff, the food, the decor. We enjoyed one of the best meals and best dining experiences we’ve had in a long time, if not ever.

• Regarding the prices, it is true that Safran is more in the high-end scale price range of the restaurants in Mauritius. This is why for this price level, I did expect something close to perfection, and the Safran fulfilled my every expectation. Actually both Mr. “C” and I felt we did get an amazing dinner and a unique dinning experience which is definitely worth the price of the meal. We got to enjoy 5 amazing dishes, 5 glasses of the best wines, many extras which are offered complimentary as part of the meal (butter naan, bread, sherbet, papadom, coffee/tea, friandises…), see a great show and dine in a beautiful restaurant in a perfect setting (sea view, candle light, top service…)

• The 5 glasses of wine which were served as part of the meal (included in the menu price) cost Rs 4,880 in total when ordering these not as part of the Jugalbandhi menu meal. This is why, it is definitely recommend, to choose the menu in full with the wines, and benefit a once in a life time food and wine dinning experience.

Here is the list of wines offered as part of the Jugalbandhi menu meal:

• G.H Martel Brut Prestige – Epernay (glass 945 Rs)

• Liliane Duboscq Bordeaux Blanc (glass 495 Rs).

• Haute Cabriere Pinot Noir Chardonnay Franschhoek, South Africa (glass 1625 Rs)

• Linderman ‘Bin 50’ Shiraz – Australia (glass is 1310 Rs).

• Bava Bass Tuba Muscato D’asti, Piedmont, Italy (glass 505 Rs).

The prices are per glass when ordering these wines not as part of the Jugalbandhi dinner menu.

Comments:

• All the prices mentioned in this review are VAT INCLUSIVE

• The restaurant accepts all credit cards and cash in rupees, euro and US $ – Cheques are not accepted.

We were guests of Safran.

]]> http://reviews.restaurants.mu/safran-restaurant-mauritius-offer/feed/ 14 http://reviews.restaurants.mu/paparazzi-traditional-italian-cuisine/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=paparazzi-traditional-italian-cuisine http://reviews.restaurants.mu/paparazzi-traditional-italian-cuisine/#comments Mon, 14 Mar 2011 09:52:00 +0000 debby http://reviews.restaurants.mu/?p=295 Yesterday we went to Paparazzi for dinner. Paparazzi was established in 1998, and has managed to keep a true traditional Italian atmosphere since its opening and up until today.

The Restaurant is a little hidden, it is indeed right in the centre of the Sunset Boulevard in the very center of Grand Baie, but it is situated on the second floor of the sunset boulevard complex. Paparazzi features an open ‘balcony’ ambience.

The décor is luxuriant white. The tables hold wine glasses, sparkling cutlery and vases filled with fresh flowers. The color palate really suits the atmosphere of a classic fine dinning Italian restaurant.

We were puzzled to see a very small menu of only appetizers and pizzas, but then the waiter showed us the menu opens up and suddenly we saw the very big variety of appetizers, main courses, pizzas and desserts.

We asked if there are any specials which do not appear on the menu, and the waiter said that the lobster dish is the best of the specials, but that if you wish to have it you must order it two days in advance – so for the lobster fans, make sure to keep this in mind. The waiter also informed us that all the dishes (pasta, pizza etc) are fresh and made at the restaurant.

As always we first started with some drinks, I ordered my traditional bloody marry (190Rs) and Mr “C” ordered the Pina Colada (190Rs) upon the waiter’s recommendation.

The bloody marry came with Worcester sauce and Tabasco on the side, and was delicious, the bloody marry wasn’t filled with too much alcohol which suited me perfectly. The pina colada, a sweet rum-based cocktail made with rum, cream of coconut and pineapple juice, was good and stronger while referring to the alcohol level.

As soon as we ordered our dishes, the waiter brought the bread basket which contained French baguette slices, and Anchor butter on the side. The butter was cold and as such was hard, so we waited for few minutes until it softened up so we can easily spread it on the bread.

We started our meal with 2 appetizers: veal carpaccio (240Rs) and heart of palm and shrimp salad (290Rs). The beautiful veal carpaccio was an example to authentic Italian flavor. On top of the capriccio were grated parmesan and spices such as oregano and fresh herbs. Usually we have either Tuna carpaccio, or beef carpaccio, so having the veal carpaccio was a very nice change and definitely a good dish. Actually the carpaccio was one of the highlights of the meal.

The heart of palm salad was served next to a salad of chopped lettuce, cucumbers and tomatoes in a heavy salad dressing. Mr “C” generally likes heart of palm but he said this one was tossed in a dressing that had a little too much mayonnaise and was still missing flavor.

We decided to order three main dishes so we can really experience the variety Paparazzi has to offer. Also we knew that we can always have the leftovers for lunch the next day…

The main dishes were: Beef fillet with mushroom sauce (580Rs), small Paparazzi pizza (250Rs) and trio of pastas (240Rs).

The Beef fillet which comes from Australia, was asked to be medium rare. I’d say it was more on the medium side, but the beef was of such quality, made with much skill and with well balanced spices, so both Mr “C” and I very much enjoyed it.

The trio of pastas is a combination of three separate pastas on one dish: Tagliatelle long (flat pasta ribbons that are similar in shape to fettuccine) with Pesto sauce, Fagottini (square pasta shapes with some kind of filling) with spinach and mushrooms, and Rigatoni (a form of tube-shaped pasta of varying lengths and diameters) with tomatoes and basil sauce.

The Fagottini was the best of the three pastas. The chopped spinach very nicely complemented the earthy flavor of the mushrooms.

The Tagliatelle was the least favorite of the three and felt a bit watery.  Maybe because the pesto sauce was made with too much oil – I am aware that it was made according to a more traditional Italian style cooking, and some may like it but I personally did not.

The Rigatoni al Pomodoro e Basilico (Penne with tomatoes & basil) was nice and simple. It is a good option for those looking for a very light flavors, for me it was a little to simple, and I did miss a stronger dominant flavor from the pasta sauce.

We asked for the small signature paparazzi pizza which is a vegetarian pizza with 7 toppings: fresh tomatoes, mozzarella, palm heart, watercress, chili, onions and mushrooms. It was great- a creative and delicious veggie pizza. The pizza is on the thin size, very rich with toppings offering rich flavors. It was definitely one of the best pizzas we had at Grand Bay area, and I am very happy Paparazzi offers home deliveries for no charge to both our office location in Grand Bay and also to our home in Pointe aux Canonniers.

With the pizza, I had a glass of house rose wine – Château de l’Aumérade (225Rs).

After having the 2 starters and the 3 main courses which, we could have walked away satisfied with a very full stomach, but we felt we could not leave without sampling the deserts. We asked for one dessert but the waiter insisted we must try at least two of their desserts, so after a short discussion we decided to comply. We then chose the homemade tiramisu (170Rs) and the crème brule (170Rs), which both seemed to be a fine ending to a nice meal.

The Tiramisu was a bit of a disappointment. Knowing Paparazzi specializes in the traditional Italian cuisine, we expected to have a Tiramisu, in a true Italian style, in the form of a cake. But what we did receive was kind of a Tiramisu mousse which was too moist, and the mascarpone flavor was too subtle and barely discernable.

The creme brulee was excellent: scrumptious and in perfect size. We both enjoyed it a lot, and no doubt it is a light dessert which offers a perfect ending for the meal.

At the end of the meal, we drew a conclusion that Paparazzi and the dishes served there are of a more traditional style.

We were curious to know who created the Paparazzi menu, and the waiter informed us that the restaurant concept and menu were created by the famous Italian Chef “Cav Francesco Cognigni”.

At home, after searching on Google, I learnt that the chef Cav Francesco Cognigni, executes classic Italian cuisine with a Mauritian flair, and that for the past 50 years he is cultivating his passion for food through his work. The chef has won several international prizes and no doubt has vast experience in the traditional Italian cuisine.

I can summarize our gastronomic experience by saying that Paparazzi and its dishes are designed for customers who prefer the traditional Italian cuisine rather than the more contemporary one. The sophistication and variety of both its menu and decor, makes this restaurant suitable for any elegant event.

I would also like to add my complements for the service during the entire meal. Our waiter was very professional, knowledgeable, friendly and very enthusiastic to provide a great personal service throughout the meal.

Comments:

• All the prices mentioned in this review are VAT exclusive.
• The restaurant accepts  all credit cards and cash in rupees, euro and US $ – Cheques are not accepted.

We were guests of Paparazzi.

]]> http://reviews.restaurants.mu/paparazzi-traditional-italian-cuisine/feed/ 3 http://reviews.restaurants.mu/hidden-reef-wonderful-french-dining-treat-youre-love/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=hidden-reef-wonderful-french-dining-treat-youre-love http://reviews.restaurants.mu/hidden-reef-wonderful-french-dining-treat-youre-love/#comments Sun, 16 Jan 2011 13:54:59 +0000 debby http://reviews.restaurants.mu/?p=244 We have a tradition to go out to dinner to celebrate any happy occasion. This time it was our wedding anniversary. Since we live in Pointe aux Canonniers, we had a full range of restaurants to choose from, all found very short distance from our home. My husband was the one to decide on where to go to and he chose one of his new favorites – Hidden Reef. Hidden Reef quickly became one of his favorite restaurant due to its great atmosphere, beautiful setting and top cuisine consisting of slow-cooked meats, flavorful fresh fish dishes, and sweet plantains.

This was our third outing in Hidden Reef. At the first two visits, we noticed there was a very pleasant “buzz” to the place. Before our first visit to the Hidden Reef, we had heard that we’d be lucky to get a table without advance booking. This turned out to be true; there was no chance to get a table without prior reservation, and we were happy that we indeed did so. The restaurant was busy with locals and tourists.

Both times we were in the Hidden Reef we had the heart of palm salad with citrus French sing (240Rs), the crab gratin (250Rs), and the beef steak (410 Rs). All dishes were delicious, – Super value for money. So based on our previous experience with Hidden Reef, we were looking forward to a great diner. .

This time, we have decided to go for something different and to try some of the other dishes on the medium size menu (about 10 starters, 15 main courses, and several desserts).

For the drinks we had the Bloody Mary (170Rs) and a cold beer. (69Rs). The Bloody Mary is a popular cocktail containing vodka, tomato juice, and Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco sauce, salt and white pepper on the side. It was great, so good and after two drinks, I was already tipsy and happy.

Mr” C”’s beer was cold and refreshing.

After finishing the drinks, we moved from the main open sky lounge area of the restaurant to the table.

As for the dinning tables you have the choice between sitting outside at the terrace under the covered deck or inside the main restaurant space. We decided to sit outside because of the breeze and more romantic atmosphere with dimmed lights. The interior of the restaurant is also wonderful, with a very elegant décor.

When choosing what to eat, we noticed that a wide range of sea foods is available; from shell fish and oysters through to whitefish and crustaceans such as lobster and crab. The menu Cheap Brand Levitra is changed on a regular basis and daily specials are also offered. As for the meat selection, there is pork, chicken, beef and lamb.

We chose the dishes, and then we received delicious bread buns and butter. The bread was very nice, but there were a few small things I found rather disappointing. First, the butter was cold, which made it rock hard and impossible to spread on the nice fresh bread which was very tasty. At a fine dinning restaurant I would expect to be served a nicely herbed or otherwise flavored butter, and at the very least plain butter that is warm enough to spread without ripping the bread to pieces.

The second thing was that our table was not steady so it rocked back and forth depending where we placed out hands. I wish someone would have noticed it before, and had put something under the tables leg to fix it prior to our arrival.

We received our appetizers which were “Mr C”’s white chicken breast salad (240Rs) and my heart of palm and prawns au gratin (330Rs).

The white chicken breast salad is made with zucchinis and grilled aubergine, Parmesan chips and slivered almonds.

This Salad is Mr “C”’s favorite of the salad offerings. The main reason is our favorite kind of chicken that comes in the salad: the kind that has a crispy and seasoned exterior, and great vegetables that go well with it.

The heart of palm and prawns au gratin was nice, but while referring to the other alternative, the crab dish which I had during my previous visits to Hidden Reef, I can definitely recommend on the crab gratin dish which is amazing.

For main courses, we ordered the saffron flavored scallops with “emince” (thinly sliced) of fresh mushrooms (420Rs) and lamb shank with oven baked potatoes and grilled vegetables on the side (420Rs)

The saffron sea scallops hit the spot for us. It was a small dish, but a delicious one.

On any given “meat craving” evening, Mr “C” is prone to order hearty things like ossobuco or lamb shank for dinner. It’s superb comfort food and, in most good restaurants, it’s a safe bet. The Hidden Reef serves up a very good lamb shank, with well-integrated flavors and decent portions for the price.

For the meat lovers while referring two my previous two visits to Hidden Reef, I can highly recommend on the Beef Fillet steak which is just divine.

For dessert, we ordered the cheese cake with red fruit puree (120Rs) and the soft centered chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream (120Rs) which is baked at the restaurant. The chocolate cakewas like a mini mountain whose hard exterior was solid chocolate cake. After cracking open the exterior, we were transfixed by the rich chocolate lava which flowed out. It was fabulous together with the vanilla ice cream.

The cheesecake was VERY rich, and VERY good.

The service was exceptional – attentive without being intrusive, knowledgeable and agreeable. The atmosphere was warm and welcoming – we felt very much at ease. And important to mention; the toilets were very clean .

Hidden Reef has generic cialis buy online a menu that offers enough options for those on a budget to be able to benefit from the atmosphere of a fine dinning restaurant without having to spend a fortune. The prices are reasonable or even to say quite cheap for the level of food and for the dinning experience.

From wonderful soups, seafood plates and main dishes, there was plenty to choose from. We both confirm that Hidden Reef has almost all of Life’s simple pleasures: A beautiful, intimate space, personal professional service, gourmet good, remarkable wine selection, and all these for very attractive prices!

Comments:

• All the prices mentioned in this review are VAT exclusive.
• Hidden Reef accepts all credit cards and cash in rupees, euro and US $ – Cheques are not accepted.

We were guests of Hidden reef.

Upon sitting at the table, I was very happy to learn from the menu and hear from the waiter that Gail’s cafe specializes in healthy and wholesome food- It is about time that a place like this will show up in the area of Grand Baie!

At Gail’s Café there is a large variety of specials served every day, depending on the fresh ingredients available at the markets on the relevant day.

Gail’s Café is very pleasant to sit and during lunch time we enjoyed a cool breeze. It also offers an intimate atmosphere as there are only 5 tables for sitting inside the cafe. Also, just beside the tables in very close proximity of few meters there is a large garden and a swimming pool which is a great added bonus for families looking for health food and for some time to spend beside the pool with their families.

Another benefit is the WIFI (free wireless internet connection) which is still quite rare in Mauritius and is wonderful for those who wish to stay connected while eating or drinking out or for those looking for a nice environment, good coffee and good food while doing their work.

When checking the menu, we had a nice selection to choose from. The menu consists of daily specials, such as fresh-baked sandwiches, flame-grilled fish, chicken meals,various salads and homemade desserts- and I quote the waiter’s sayings: “everything is made from scratch and with care”.

As we always do, we started with the drinks, I took the banana smoothy (130Rs), made of banana, yogurt and honey.

Mr “C” chose the fresh juice cocktail (130Rs), made of apple, pineapple and orange (the waiter informed us that only seasonal fresh fruits are used to make this cocktail).

The smoothies were excellent, both refreshing and tasty, a perfect combination of ingredients. It is surely wonderful to have such a smoothy before a workout or whenever you need an energy drink and you are searching for an healthier option than going for a red-bull…

As for the meal, we first got the home-made bread, with butter on the side. It is served to anyone who orders anything to eat and is complementary to the lunch. Being a home-baker myself, I had to admit that Gail’s cafe’s bread is much better than mine- healthy and tasty, and one can really tell that it is fresh. The bread is made of whole wheat flour, nuts, dry grapes and yoghurt.

The first dish we ordered was the Thai Salad (285Rs), and the roast beef sandwich (265Rs). The Thai salad is made of basil, mint, lettuce, tomatoes, sesame and chicken breast cooked with coconut milk. It was the BEST SALAD I have ever eaten in Mauritius. Everything, from the chicken which was moist and perfectly cooked to the richness of Thai flavours, also the salad seasoning was spot-on.

The roast beef sandwich had humus (wow, humus in Mauritius!), blue cheese (optional), onion marmalade, lettuce and pepper-dews. Each one of the ingredients was very good but the whole sandwich was served a little wet. Although it was clear the sandwich was made only to order, it seems that due to the balsamic vinegar which was placed on the bread, the bread became to wet.

Then we ordered the Salmon Ravioli (270Rs) and the spinach quiche (275Rs). The salmon ravioli was perfect. Absolutely amazing! Wow. Wow. Wow! Even Mr “C” who doesn’t like salmon said it was delicious- again, WOW! (I wish it was a larger portion).

The spinach quiche was also appetizing, and the addition of the bacon on top was great. We did a great job making sure not to leave even one crumb….leaving the plates sparkles clean of any food.

To finish off, we had the chocolate tart (110Rs) and 2 short espressos (65Rs each). The tart is served with vanilla ice cream, honey and nuts. This was a very nice sweet ending to the meal.

The espresso we had was really good and full of aroma.

The service during the entire meal was unfussy, friendly and appropriately attentive.

I think the name of the café is quite misleading as the high level of food served makes it more of a great restaurant rather than a café.

Important to mention is that Gail’s Café is also doing catering to small events. From what we tasted and heard from friends who used their services, it seems that Gail’s Café succeeds in keeping the same high standard of food served at the Café also for its catering.

So….next time you visit Grand Baie, make sure to stop for a healthy lunch at Gail’s Café….

Bon Appétit!

Comments:

• All the prices mentioned in this review are VAT exclusive.
• Gail’s Cafe accepts all credit cards and cash in rupees, euro and US $ – Cheques are not accepted.

We were guests of Gail’s Cafe.

So when our friends told us we MUST TRY the new C Delights restaurant in Quatre Bornes, which is a Seafood & Steak restaurant, we immediately decided to go for it!!!

We arrived to C Delights at 17:00, as this was the only time they had available table for us (we called in advance to make reservations). The restaurant was fully booked from 18:00 till 22:30! It is a definite sign that they must be doing something well. Also, when a restaurant is always full, it insures that everything is served fresh.

We were seated upstairs at a table for two. On each of the tables there were ketchup, home chili, salt and pepper, toothpicks and cutlery. We first ordered drinks, we chose to order some of the restaurant’s specialties – the C Delights sizzling drinks. I ordered the Apple Delight, made from apple juice, orange juice, sprite, and granadilla syrup (130 Rs) and Mr “C” ordered the Kiss Delight made from archers, vodka, melon liquor, cranberry juice and orange Juice (170Rs).

The drinks came very quickly and immediately we realized why the sizzling drinks are considered the house specialties – they truly are sizzling! The sight is quite unique, to see a cocktail drink with smoke and bubbles going out of the glass. Mr “C” and I couldn’t stop wondering what the source of the magic bubbling is. Both drinks were unique in taste and surely impressive to look at.

The Apple Delight was very sweet, and was decorated nicely. I liked it very much.
As for the kiss delight, it was also presented nicely and was perfect in the sense that the alcohol was not overbearing.

Then we received our appetizers: the crumbed mushroom (125Rs) and the prawns and calamari duet (160Rs).
The crumbed mushroom, a dish made of button fresh mushrooms with bread crumbs, is served with tartar sauce and a small salad. The mushrooms were SO JUICY and appetizing from inside, and so crunchy from the outside.

This is a heavenly dish and we found ourselves “fighting” for every mushroom. When we have some food fighting on every piece it only means one thing- Yummy!!!!!!! We couldn’t believe how cheap and good this dish is – definitely a big MUST HAVE!

The prawns and calamari duet is just as described on the menu- a must taste combination- the prawns were very tasty and juicy, and the calamari was as good. The tartar sauce enriched the flavor of the dish itself. Both the crumbed mushroom and the prawns and calamari duet were delicious and we can highly recommend them as starters for every meal you might have at C Delights.

We ordered some more drinks and the main courses, which were the Rib-Eye steak (450 Rs), a half sized lobster dish (we specially asked if we can order only half of the regular lobster dish which usually consists of 2 mega lobsters) and we also decided to go wild and order the seafood platter (650Rs)….what can I say, we were very hungry : -)

As for the sizes of the meat dishes, after asking the waiter, (I think all restaurants should add it to the menu..), the waiter informed me that a regular steak is 200g , large steak is of 300g ; regular lamb is 300g and the large is 400g.

Until the main courses arrived, the waiter came and cleared our table and replaced all dishes and cutlery. From the beginning and till we ended our meal, the service was very professional and efficient, as it probably must be to serve so many customers every night.

When we saw the waiter bringing our main course, we were ecstatic- the portions were very big and we realized we are going to enjoy a true feast of delicious seafood and meat.

Te Seafood platter comprised of scampi, tiger prawns, grilled calamari, buttered fish, and mussels, all served with cream sauce on top.

The scampi, tiger prawns and the grilled calamari were great, fresh and tasteful. The buttered fish was a tad too oily for me, but Mr “C” did not agree and he liked it a lot. He told me that he found the buttered fish very rich in taste with a delicate fish aroma.

The mussels had a very fresh taste of sea, which was heaven for me.

The mega lobster came in a big dish with rice on the side. It was indeed mega in size, big impressive lobster, which was full of meat and succulent.

The rice was a bit bland, but with the addition of the chili (available on the table), the rice had a serious comeback and became a nice spicy side dish to the lobster.

The seafood platter dish and the lobster dish came in a cooking cream, seafood stock and whole scampi sauce. It was a divine combination.

Then after, the waiter served the Rib-Eye steak. The Rib-Eye arrived just how we like it- medium-rare, exactly how we ordered pharmacy whithout prescription it. I do not how many of you will agree with us, but in our opinions the best way to enjoy a good quality meat is to have it medium rare (or even rare). The meat at C Delights is indeed a very quality meat; once we placed a dull knife in it, it cut the meat like butter.

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The steak was very juicy, fatty and scrumptious. No doubt this was a delicious, flavored steak which both of us very much enjoyed.

The first thing we ordered after the meal was the white coffee (50 Rs).

The coffee did come black (no milk) and not white like ordered, but when we asked for milk it came within two seconds. It was steaming hot, just as we like it.

As for desserts, we ordered the chocolate Brownie (90 Rs) and the chocolate Sunday (80 Rs).

The chocolate brownie is served with vanilla ice cream and whipped cream. The desserts were wonderful, offering very high value for money.

We decided to go wild and actually cialis generika to combine the chocolate Sunday and the chocolate brownie which resulted in a successful festival of sweetness. The waiter told me that all the desserts are home made.

I Order Generic Levitra Online without Prescription can summarize our dinning at C Delights as a very successful one. C Delights is offering an amazing value for money. The dishes are of big portions, made only of fresh food and come out very tasty. The seafood is fresh and is delivered to the restaurant  on a daily basis, and the meat is of high quality and is prepared with much skill.

The décor of the C Delights restaurant is very modern, very much reminded us  of an upscale American diner with leather seats, plasma TV’s and modern styling. It is an ideal restaurant for family dinners, celebrations, going out with friends and many more occasions.

C Delights is a place of delightful food which is usually not recommended for those on diet:-), but even if you are health nuts, you are sure to find several options in the menu.

I understood that C Delights restaurant at Quatre Bornes will be the first, of probably many more C Delights  restaurants to come in Mauritius. The secret of their success is simple – affordable prices (I even say cheap), fresh products, great chefs, eating in comfort, stylish design and quality service.

After visiting and eating at C Delights, Mr “C” and I both fully understand why C Delights is such a success, and only wish for them to open a branch in somewhere in the north of Mauritius, closer to our home- and the sooner the better!

…And very important….make sure to reserve a table before you go, otherwise you may find yourself waiting very long time to have a table.

Enjoy and bon appétit!

This is a very smart idea to serve the hungry people that don’t want/don’t have time to sit at the restaurant, so more people can enjoy the same fresh and quality food served inside the restaurant.

Comments:

• All the prices mentioned in this review are VAT exclusive.
• C Delights accepts all credit cards and cash in rupees, euro and US $ – Cheques are not accepted.

We were guests of the C Delights restaurant.

—————–

I love Sushi. Absolutely love it. So when Mr. “C” and I wanted to enjoy the best Sushi Grand Baie has to offer, we went to Sakura Japanese restaurant on Royal Road, Naturally.

The restaurant has three areas – one is a lounge area for sitting down once you arrive at the restaurant and for having the dessert at the end of the meal. At the lounge, the waiter will take your order and serve your drinks.

The other two areas are the Tepanyaki corner, where there are 4 Tepanyaki tables, each of them can seat 8-12 people. The other part of the restaurant serves all the diners who come to enjoy the Sushi, Yaki-Tori, Tampura or any other dish (except for the Tepanyaki).

When we walked in the restaurant, and even though the restaurant was quite full, we were immediately seated at the lounge area by a very friendly waiter, who gave us the menus and took our drinks’ order.

For drinks, we ordered the fresh natural orange juice (100 Rs), and Mr “C” ordered a phoenix beer (90 Rs). The fresh orange juice was refreshing, and the beer was cold, with clean beer taste – everything you could ask from a beer.

After about 5 minutes, the waiter escorted us to our dining table. He immediately helped me in my chair and put the tablecloth on me. I should mention here that from the beginning till the very end of the meal, the service was very professional and attentive.

For starters, we were served the delicious Yakitori starter, the Yakitori starter consists of 6 pieces (360 Rs), or you can choose the Yakitori menu (590 Rs), which consists of an appetizer, salad, 8 sticks of mixed Yakitori, fried rice, Miso soup, pickles and dessert.

Yakitori is a Japanese type of skewered grilled chicken. It is made of several bite-sized pieces of chicken meat, skewered on a bamboo skewer and barbecued. The Yakitori is served with tare sauce, which is made up of mirin, sake, soy sauce and sugar. The sauce is applied to the skewered meat and is grilled until delicately cooked.

The Sakura Yakitori was soooo gooood – soft, juicy from the inside and crispy from the outside, absolutely delicious. The teriyaki sauce was on spot, surely due to the fact that all the sauces served in Sakura restaurant are fresh and homemade.

For your information, in between every dish you receive a fresh moist cold towel for you to use as a refresher. This is a nice gesture which adds a lot to this unique dining experience.

The next dish was the Nigiri-Sushi starter (350 Rs). The Nigiri-Sushi is a Japanese dish of slices of fish and seafood on pads of rice. It was served with Japanese chili and soy sauce on side plates. The Nigiri-sushi was made of shrimps, octopus, salmon, calamari and red tuna, with ginger and wasabi on the side.

The shrimps were nice, and the octopus, salmon, calamari and red tuna were AMAZING. So fresh and tasty- yummy!

After that, we were served Sashimi starter (360 Rs). Sashimi is sliced fish that is served with a bowl of boiled rice on the side, or in our case in the middle.

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The Sashimi was served in a beautiful boat like plate, and it consisted of many types of fresh seasonal fish (in our case: tuna, calamari, marlin and salmon). Though all the dishes were good, this was our favorite dish. The taste of the fresh fish was so pure and delicious, and Mr “C”, who always prefers good meat over fish, also confirms that the fish were one of the best he had in a long time.

Next we received the Tempura dish, which is a dish of battered and deep fried seafood and vegetables. A full Tempura Menu is on offer at Sakura (590 Rs), and it consists of an appetizer, salad, mixed tempura, fried rice, Miso soup, pickles and dessert.

The vegetables were very nice, whereas the tastes of the fish and seafood were less distinguished, nice but not as amazing as the others. The sauce that comes with the dish is really good and full of flavors and it enriches the dish very much– make sure to add to the Tempura dish!

Then, we had the sushi dish, which is the dish I was highly looking forward to. Sakura offers full Sushi or Sashimi menu (600 Rs) which includes an appetizer, starter, 10 pieces of mixed sushi or sashimi, miso soup and dessert.

We received a platter Generic Levitra Online Pharmacy of mixed sushi, and it was everything I had hoped for and more! Again, the fish was fresh, of high quality, the rice cooked just right, really delicious. As a long time sushi fan, I still wake up sometimes crying to Mr “C” – I miss the sushi, sushi….

After the sushi, we had the prawn Tempura maki starter (360 Rs). The Tempura maki is a Japanese lightly fried prawn sushi roll. The dish consisted of Tempura pieces covered with algae and rice. It is a wonderful dish which offers a combination of the textures and the different ingredients made this dish excellent.

Just before the dessert, we had our last course which was the Futomaki starter (360 Rs). The Futomaki is a large cylindrical piece, made of tuna, egg, shrimps and cucumber. On the side was a small salad.

Even tough we were so full when we started to eat the dish, we could still taste how the fillings were chosen for their complementary tastes and colors, and we really enjoyed the dish. We left 4 pieces as there was no way to put anything else down our stomach, and the chef put it in the nicest take away bag, that was so beautiful I didn’t want to open it when I got home

For dessert, we had a bowl of fruit, watermelon, pineapple and orange (100 Rs) and some Japanese tea – A great, simple and light dessert to end a wonderful meal.

As for the service during the meal, besides the wonderful waiter who took care of us during the whole evening, we kept seeing the owner of the restaurant asking everyone if everything was ok, and even clearing and serving the tables, just ensuring constantly that all was 100%, as it should be.

Regarding the toilets at Sakura, they are very clean, there is also a small bonsai tree with some flowers next to the sink, tissues and liquid soap.

When we arrived home, I told Mr “C” we must come again to Sakura and also try the Tepanyaki experience they offer. Mr “C” was glad to agree to that, and I am happy to say that 2 weeks later, he kept his promise and we visited Sakura for the second time, this time for the Tepanyaki, which you can read about here below.

Before starting the dinner, we received our drinks which were the same as before (juice and beer).

Then we moved to the Tepanyaki table, where we were given the Chawanmushi starter. The Chawanmushi, literally “tea cup steam” or “steamed in a tea bowl”, it is an egg custard dish found in Japan that uses the seeds of ginkgo. The custard consists of an egg mixture flavored with soy sauce, dashi, and mirin, with numerous ingredients such as shiitake mushrooms, kamaboko, and boiled shrimps placed into a tea-cup-like container. In Japan it is eaten as soup in the winter and it is praised to heat the body).

Mr. “C” and I both thought the Chawanmushi was very light and simply marvelous. Mr “C” said and I quote: “I find its feather-light texture soothing”.

Next we had the Kakiage Salad – a kind of tempura in which different ingredients are mixed together in a tempura batter before being deep fried. Various vegetables, mushrooms, and seafood can be used for kakiage. It was served with a wonderful sweet sauce, and one could really taste the quality of the ingredients served.

After the Kakiage Salad it was time to move on to the highlight of the evening – the Tepanyaki itself. We asked for the mixed Tepanyaki which is a mix of prawns, beef, chicken and vegetables (onion, lady fingers, potatoes and eggplants).

For the Tepanyaki menu we received 3 sauces (again, like mentioned before all sauces are homemade):

• Lemon sauce for the seafood
• Garlic sauce- for poultry and beef
• Peanut sauce- for the vegetables

The fact you have to sauces throughout the meal is a great plus, you can control the amount of sauce you would like to add for each dish, and also in some cases do what we did, and mix some of the sauces together.

Before the Tepanyaki starts, the waiter puts an apron on you to make sure nothing stains your clothing, and then the chef shows you all the products of what you will have as part of the Tepanyaki (in our case, the mix of everything – prawns, beef, chicken and vegetables).

All the chefs operating the Tepanyaki tables have a vast experience and are very skilled in the art of cooking Tepanyaki food. You will be very impressed with the speed, knife skill and unique cooking techniques. Once the chef starts the preparation of the Tepanyaki you feel like a part of an amazing cooking show, and this is what the Tepanyaki is all about, enjoying a great eye-catching live cooking show, and delicious food.

The experienced chef started preparing the hot plate by oiling it and cutting the ingredients. Firstly, he put the vegetables and the white tuna fish (as mentioned before, the fish is always fresh and seasonal).

The chef then put silver foil on the hot plate, and folded it with a knife to create a box. In this box he put butter, ginger sauce and the fish.

He let it simmer for a while, then cut and added garlic (did so after asking us how much garlic we like with our food – a lot!) and then served it all together. The fish – as it was cooked without any sauce – was good but a tad bland, but as soon as we added cialis no prescription the lemon sauce and the ginger sauce it became a great dish as they really complement the dish.

Next we had the prawns’ dish – the chef took the fresh prawns, took the shell off on the hot plate in-front of us, and prepared them to perfection – no doubt, a delicious dish, especially with that amazing garlic sauce.

After that, the chef prepared the vegetables. They were prepared with soy sauce and were served with the peanut sauce on the side. The combination of the vegetables and the sauces feels super healthy as if all the vitamins stay inside and do not go away when cooking them on the hot plate.

The chef then asked us how do we like our meat (medium rare and the bigger the better), and then placed it in the middle of the hot plate with the garlic, added some alcohol and lit it in front of us. What a beautiful flame!

The meat was tender, full of tastes.

We were then served with chicken and Shanghai noodles. The super talented chef put the eggs right on top of the other, creating a tower of eggs, and then flipping it to break them without leaving a single shell piece inside. He took this mix and spread it on the hot plate and created a very thin omelet. On this thin omelet he added onion, carrot, green onion, cabbage and the chicken. Then he rolled it like a roti and served it cut to pieces.

The noodles were good but the eggs- as they were not mixed with the dish, by also covering it (all around) – had an overpowering taste.

After the Shanghai noodles, we received a very similar dish which was prepared in the same way, but with white rice as the main ingredient instead Generic pills whithout prescription of noodles. I personally liked it more than the noodles.

My tip for both dishes (the noodles and rice) is to take advantage of the selection of homemade sauces and add them according to your personal taste to the rice and the noodles. The sauce really adds taste and complements both these dishes tremendously.

Then we got the Miso Soup. Miso soup is a traditional Japanese soup consisting of a stock called “dashi” into which is mixed softened miso paste. The Miso Soup is made from beans paste, tofu, fish powder and more. We were told that the way to have it is to drink it, and that it is much recommended in Japan against cancer and many illnesses. We loved it.

The chef said his goodbye in a very professional way, telling us what we had that night, how much he would love it for us to come again and parted in an honoring bow.

We ended the meal with fresh fruit salad (papaya, pineapple, red and green apples and an orange), a moist cold towel and mints. The fruit salad was fresh and good.

After both visits to Sakura, we didn’t feel heavy at all and it just made us think again on how the Japanese cuisine is very healthy and good for the body, and of course, good for the soul!!!!
I am sure any fish and sea food lover will enjoy himself as much as we did. And we SURELY did!

Comments:

• In order for us to introduce you, the readers, to the Japanese cuisine with its variety of dishes and flavors, we specially asked to receive a small portion of the different dishes (instead of the standard dish sizes). As such, many of the photos represent the dishes we had and not the necessarily the standard dish size served at Sakura.
• All the prices mentioned in this review are VAT exclusive.
• Sakura accepts all credit cards and cash in rupees, euro and US $ – Cheques are not accepted.

We were guests of the Sakura restaurant.