A gourmet stopover to discover or rediscover!

A stone’s throw from the center of the village of Moka, nestled in lush greenery, there’ s this place that can bring you back into the past in a few minutes. The small path that takes you there already arouses curiosity! This is a very original “table d’hôte”, with a garden that is well worth to be discovered: a banana tree loaded with green fruit, a guava tree, a papaya tree and many other fruit trees. Beautiful ferns that rival magnificent tropical plants.

Here, a mother and her daughter invite us to discover their authentic cuisine inspired by the Mauritian Creole cuisine of yesteryear, a “manze lacaz” (literally homemade). Well, here, it’s L’Escale Créole! We are warmly welcomed by smiling hosts who immediately make you feel at home. Under a beautiful Creole veranda, a colorful decor highlights many artisanal products. In one corner, original Mauritian sirandanes (puns) written on blackboards bring a smile to our face. Some local music playing gently does not prevent us from hearing birdsongs, nor from letting ourselves be lulled by the tranquility of this place.

As a starter, we enjoyed some tasty Mauritian appetizers and a fresh homemade pineapple juice. From lemon grass to tamarind juice, the drinks offered depend on the seasons. The meal gives priority to local products, most of which come from the garden. A Zourit (octopus) curry with green papaya, a rougaille of Creole sausages, all this accompanied by several Mauritian condiments. At the end of the meal, we had some typical sweet delicacies from our island including our famous coconut cake, papaya with cinnamon and a shot of local flavoured rum. Everything is served in enamel plates and glasses as in bygone days. The meal is so tasty and if you close your eyes, you can imagine yourself at your grandmothers’ family table a long time ago.

Our hosts are very attentive and willingly share bits and pieces of our Creole heritage. They perpetuate the tradition of our cuisine with recipes inherited from generation to generation. We find it hard to leave this charming place. We wandered a few more moments around the garden, and sat under a frangipani tree, smelling the sweet tropical scents. We reluctantly walked out of this magnificent garden as the serenity of the place doesn’t motivate us at all to go back to our busy daily life.

Looking for authenticity and calm? No hesitation! Let yourself be soothed by making a little “Escale” (Stopover) at Marie-Christine’s and her mother’ s place!

NadElle