What and where to eat
Eating in Mauritius is a real adventure. Of course if you visit Mauritius, it is a must to try the local cuisine. Mauritian cuisine is a mixture of Creole, Chinese, European, African and Indian. When you are in Mauritius you need absolutely to try the Creole Curry which is a quite spicy cuisine, and very hot. The curry can be made with fish, beef or chicken and it is served with white rice. Some other Mauritian cuisines are: Daube de Poisson, Langouste à la Creole, Curry de Cerf, Rougaille Poisson Salé. Why not try a typical muslim menu, the briani, also a very spicy menu. You can also try the Chinese cuisine which not very expensive as Fried Rice, Beef Black beans. Of course there is also the European cuisine.
Try also the Mauritian snacks as samoussas, gateaux piments, gateaux bringelles, gateaux pomme de terre, batons fromages. Something very common in every of the Mauritian streets, dholl pourri and roti, it is a sort of pancake served with hot beans curry, tomato sauce known as chutney here and chilli of course. Most Mauritian food is hot and spicy and the Mauritian like to eat a lot of chilli.
Among the many exotic vegetables you'll come across are heart of palm (coeur de palmiste) or "millionaire's" salad, gros pois (fat butter beans), bredes (fresh greens), lalo (lady's fingers) and a variety of pumpkin and marrow.
It's a good idea to give yourself a couple of days to acclimatise before sampling any roadside snacks, which can cause tummy upset.
By the beach and elsewhere food stalls sell fresh fruit cut in pieces and sold in bags for a few rupees.
Among the best pickings are in Trou D’eau Douce, such as Chez Tino which serves up traditional Mauritian cuisine at reasonable prices.
For good seafood,Resto 7 has a nice menu – try the lobster if you can. Another premium sea food choice in Trou D’eau Douce is Le Four a Chaud.
*Chez Tino
As per the image of the "Trou d’eau Douce" village where it is situated, the restaurant Chez Tino is the real "restaurant by the corner". Run by "Ton Tino" with professionalism. Creole cuisine. Tino
* Le Four a chaud
The kiln - in French, "le four à chaux" - which has inspired the name of the restaurant was still in use two generations ago, contributing to the growth of Trou d'Eau Douce and its region. Nowadays the boats no longer land alongside the kiln loaded with corals. Instead they bring another great resource offered by the lagoon: fresh seafood at the doorstep of Le Four à Chaud. The restaurant is known for its fresh seafood dishes.
Open: lunch to dinner
Closed: Saturday lunch
Tel : +230 4801036
*Safran
With stunning views of the water and outlying islands, Safran, part of Trou d'eau Douce’s Le Touessrok resort on the east coast, is probably the finest Indian restaurant in the country. Its menus, overseen by Michelin-starred chef Atul Kochhar, combine classic Eastern flavours with Western cooking methods – try spiced pineapple in coconut milk or palm-heart kofte.
tel :+230 402 7400
* Le Cafe des Arts
Gourmet and gastronome, Jocelyn Gonzalez puts a lot of emphasis on his cuisine.The chef is Mauritian and the second is French. The restaurant also has its own pastry cook. The menu is varied and changes every week or so. He stresses on the point that his restaurant is not specially tourist orientated but caters mainly for Mauritians; his menu proposes dishes unknown to Mauritians. However, the non-mauritians also have something to discover as all sauces have hints of Mauritian flavours. The cellar is another masterpiece but the prices are reasonable as Jocelyn believes that it is the duty of all good restaurants to make sure that everyone can afford some wine with his meal. Le cafe des Arts
*Restaurant Sept, S. Beerbul
Sept Croisees, Trou d'Eau Douce
Tel :+ 230 4802766
*Green Island Beach Restaurant
Royal Road, Trou d'Eau Douce
Tel :+230 5150240
