We had a luxurious three hour Christmas Eve dinner at a
Mauritian- French restaurant called Ile Maurice in Umhlanga Rocks (a popular
beach destination about 20 minutes’ drive from Durban). It was by far the best
meal we had in Durban; actually, it easily was the best meal I’ve had since
moving to Africa! Dinner at Ile Maurice was the first time I’ve tasted Mauritian
food, which I can best describe as a delicious, greed-inducing combination of flavorful
French food and island spices. Unfortunately I did not take any pictures during
dinner, because I was too wrapped up in an eating frenzy to do so. J
Scott and I both started with the crab soup, which, in
contrast to the heavy, creamy bisque I have grown to expect when I order “crab
soup,” was delightfully light, flavorful and spicy. For our main courses, Scott
ordered the Carre D’Agneau Grille, a flavorful rack of lamb and I had the
Canard a L’Orange, a very tender half duck basted in a delicious red wine and
Grand Marnier sauce. Buttery mashed potatoes and lightly grilled vegetables for
the table were excellent accompaniments to our mains. Finally, dessert: Crème
Brulee Madame Mauvis (restaurant founder) for Scott and rich, creamy cheesecake
for me. Très délicieux!
While the restaurant itself was very cute and had a nice
view of the ocean from the top floor where we were seated by the window, a
negative side to the evening was the drunken antics of the elderly South
African couple seated at the table next to ours. As the couple consumed more
and more champagne (for her) and brandy (for him) their arguing became louder
and increasingly vulgar, with her shouting obscenities at him and him slamming
his hand on the table violently. Later in the evening, the woman went on an
anti-Jewish rant and circulated to each table, aggressively demanding that
guests prove they are “Christians and not Jews” by wishing her a merry
Christmas. This was amusing at first, but quickly got old and I was surprised
that management did not do more to control the situation and/or kick the couple
out of the restaurant once they started disturbing other guests.
Restaurant Rating (ON A SCALE OF TO )
Food
|
AMAZING
– trunk and tail-swinging good!
I had a lot of duck in China but never
one like this. YUM.
|
Service
|
AMAZING
– trunk and tail-swinging good!
The waiter was very knowledgeable and I
was impressed that they gave us a whole pitcher of ice water, impressive for a French restaurant!
|
Ambience
|
The
elephant in the room says this place needs improvement.
A nice spot, but the angry arguing and
anti-Semitism were mood killers. Christmas Eve, people!
|
Overall
Experience
|
Trunk-swinging
good.
Had it not been for the drunken couple,
Ile Maurice would have easily gotten five elephants.
|
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