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Cuisine
Come into being as the result of various contaminations of
French, Indian, Chinese and African kitchen craft, Creole
cookery in the Seychelles offers some surprising flavours
that will satisfy even the most difficult palates.
Based on local raw materials, - fish, above all, always fresh
and inexpensive, rice and vegetables, but also meat, chicken
and pork for the most part – it readily lends itself
to the preparation not only of simple dishes that exalt the
flavours of their ingredients, but also more elaborate Creole
recipes, seasoned and aromatised with such exotic spices as
cinnamon, cloves, ginger, green peppers, cardamom, curry and
nutmeg.
Sweets, too, make extensive use of local riches, especially
tropical fruit, ever present in both gardens and woods; bananas,
passion fruit, coconuts and mangoes are the basic ingredients
of delicious sweets, juices and ice creams.
Apart from the excellent tea produced on the island, the national
drink is beers, the so-called Seybrew, but you will also find
bottles of imported wine at acceptable prices.
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typical dishes of Creole kitchen craft
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Restaurants
We limit ourselves to mentioning the restaurants we liked
best, but would ask you to let us know your own comments and
suggestions.
At Victoria:
Kaz Zanana
Revolution Avenue, Tel. 3241150
Apart from enjoying some light and tasty dishes, some of French
inspiration, this restaurant-gallery with its green surroundings
will enable you to admire a
fascinating selection of Seychelle painters.
News Café
Trinity House, Tel. 322999
The best small-size restaurant for having lunch at Victoria.
Fine salads with fish and shrimps. Good home-made cakes. And
there is good espresso coffee.
Marie Antoinette
St. Louis, Tel. 2662222
A visit to this historic restaurant at Victoria is an absolute
must. It will reward you with its atmosphere of a Seychelle
home of former days, its numerous specialties of Creole kitchen
craft (really spicy!) and, not least, the charm and courtesy
of its proprietress.
At Mahé:
Average prices
Baobab Pizza
Parlour
Beau Vallon, Tel. 247167
Situated on Beau Vallon Beach, this pizzeria with its characteristic
sand floor is one of the obligatory hideouts for a surprisingly
good pizza, a plate of spaghetti or a marinated fish salad.
Don’t miss it.
Boat House
Beau Vallon, Tel. 247898
Offers you a fantastic fish barbecue in the evening, together
with a rich buffet of Creole dishes. You can eat to your heart’s
content at a fixed and very reasonable price.
Mahek
Beau Vallon, Tel. 621835 - 713373
At the Coral Strand Hotel there is an authentic Indian restaurant
, which offers you a rich menu and a chef ever ready to help
you make your choice.
At somewhat higher prices:
La Perle Noire
Beau Vallon, Tel. 24706
Delicious dishes of Creole and Italian cuisine.
Le Corsaire
Bel Ombre, Tel. 247171
Probably the best restaurant on the island. Apart from a cuisine
prepared with painstaking care, there is also a wine list
that can compete with the best European restaurants.
La Scala
Bel Ombre, Tel. 247171
Historic Italian restaurant at Mahé. Excellent fish
dishes and sea food. An be sure to try their spaghetti in
clam sauce!
Chez Plume
Anse Boileau, Tel. 3756660
Really sophisticated Creole cuisine. Makes a trip to the south
of the island thoroughly worthwhile. And don’t forget
to try their crab soup and fish in ginger sauce.
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watercolour of a Seychelles
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