Restaurant Reviews

Paul & Virginie Restaurant

The setting is wonderful, in thatched podiums overlooking the beach at Wolmar, the gardener deserves a medal.

Service is very good too, right amount of attention, not intrusive.

We were fortunate to be entertained by an excellent 5-piece jazz group, playing in the new orleans style. They were going from table to table, and were truly excellent.

Unfortunately the...

food falls a long way short of both expectations and the prices. I get the impression some of the stuff is frozen, which would be OK at 300 rupees a dish, but not 500. Portions were a bit meagre too, it was lunch, but I still don't expect to feel like a sandwich after a 3-course lunch! All dishes lacked seasoning/flavour. They weren't poor, in fact back home I'd probably rank them as very good, but on Mauritius for less money you can have much better.

The prawn gratine with palm heart was a particular dissappointment, barely a saucer of the stuff, slightly over-cooked frozen prawns, hardly any palm heart to be found, and no side dish, apparently no option for one on the menu either.

The desserts really were a bit of a silly effort .. "mauritian pavlova" rather raises expectations, but when it turns out to be a scoop of ice cream, some chopped (not brilliantly fresh) fruit piled on a bought meringue nest ... well, a poor showing. The creme brulees were a good concept, but one lacked it's crisp topping, and all failed to really impress.