Gateau Piment

Gateau piment or chilli cakes, are available from street sellers in small paper bags. These are popular snacks for many of the locals. They are tasty and usually served on bread and can sometimes be available as a side dish. They are usually eaten red-hot but can also be eaten cold.

Alouda

Port Louis market is one of the best places to try alouda, a traditional, sweet Mauritian drink derived from the original Indian falooda. This wildly popular beverage is made from milk flavoured with a syrup such as strawberry, raspberry or vanilla, with added sweet basil seeds and agar agar for texture. Be sure to sip it poured over plenty of ice for a sweet refreshing burst of energy after a morning‚s shopping.

BOL RENVERSER / MAGIC BOWL

The ‚Bol Renverser‚ is similar to a chop suey sauce made with oyster sauce and soy sauce served with a choice of meat and seafood my preference is chicken and prawn, served with a sunny side up, or over easy egg. It is prepared in a bowl with the egg placed first, then the chop suey base and then the rice and presented to the customer upside down – hence the origin of the name in creole meaning ‚upside down bowl.

GAJAKS

The ‚gajaks‚ are usually served anytime as a snack if you are visiting guests or anything that comes before a main meal. The best way to think of it is a variety of snacks quite similar to tapas/pinchos.

MIN FRITE

This is a classic Sino-Mauritian dish brought to us by the Chinese Mauritian community usually served with a variety of meat of your Chinese and always served alongside a garlic and chive sauce and some hot ‚piment crazer‚ a crushed green chilli paste. It is generally made using yellow wheat noodles that‚s why they are a beautiful yellow colour and served with carrots, cabbage and usually a ‚brede‚ which is any type of green leaf which could be pumpkin leaf, taro leaf or similar giving it a lovely iron rich flavour.

ROTI AND DAL PURI

The roti is an unleavened flat bread made with oil, flour, salt and water served warm with a choice of toppings from ‚rougaille‚ a Mauritian creole sauce of rich tomatoes, thyme, chilli and coriander, butterbean curry ‚cari gros pois‚ and ‚satini‚ a raw chilli chutney either green or red (green is mint and coriander and red is red chilli and tomato). Dal Puri are what all Mauritians dream of when they leave the island, it is made in a similar way to roti with the addition of turmeric and yellow split peas (chana dal) which is ground and placed in the middle of the dough and rolled out so thin like a crepe. These are also served with the same condiments but are always served as in pairs as one is never enough!

SALADE PALMISTE WITH SMOKED MARLIN

Smoked Marlin (marlin fume) is a delicacy on the island and palm heart salad is made using the heart of the palm tree, It has a light fragrant flavour similar to a heart of a artichoke. It is served with a fresh vinaigrette usually with lime and coriander running through it. Classic and fresh in flavours its a must try.

Gateaux Arouille – Taro Fritters

Using the taro root a staple root vegetable used in Mauritius, these are grated washed and deep fried into balls. These are served alongside a chilli chutney with other snacks like ‚gateaux piment‚, samosas and ‚bajia‚