When Gails’s Cafe announced a new menu, we were curious to try it, so Mr “C” met me there for lunch.
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.
Loading ...
1:21 pm on November 24th, 2010
I prefer the terms “raisins” to “dry grapes”. Nice review. I would just like to add that the chocolate tart looks weird.
On some other note, it would have been great if you could have provided a list of other specialties from Gail`s. Knowing the “size” of the menu of a restaurant is a good indication of how they manage their ingredients.
Also, from what you ate, the menu looks a little bit motley (Thai, Italian and so on…).
Going by your review, it seems nice that a restaurant is able to assure quality with such a culturally varied menu. But then, you were a guest and I personally wouldn`t completely take your word for it. I think I should try this place out.
6:45 am on November 7th, 2011
Hey, That was a fantastic post thank you very much for sharing that information with everyone. We are about to book mark this page for future reading. Thanks.