Thursday, October 5, 2017

Maison Eureka, Mauritius by Obelix

Maison Eureka is a traditional colonial house built in 1830 near river Moka. It's one of the largest colonial houses on the island. The original family living there had 17 kids and by the 20th century there were more than 100 heirs.

Maison Eureka, Mauritius
The decision was made in the 1980s to restore the Maison and open it to the public as a museum. To assist with the upkeep, there is an admission fee or you can order a three course lunch and tour the house, garden and cascade waterfall for free.

Maison Eureka, Mauritius, fruit juice
Fruit juice

Maison Eureka, Mauritius, bread
Bread and condiments

Lunch... that was what I originally came for. A traditional Creole lunch made not by a chef but by a cook. In fact it was made by the lovely lady serving us at the table laid out on the picturesque veranda over looking the garden. I felt like I had stepped back in time.

Maison Eureka, Mauritius
Maison Eureka

Maison Eureka, Mauritius
Maison Eureka

Whilst we waited in between our various courses, we toured the rooms of the house. It was breathtaking and I got goosebumps. You know, like good goosebumps when you walk through a place steeped in history.

Maison Eureka, Mauritius, samosa, gateaux piment
For entree we all shared samosas and gateaux piment (chilli cakes). I didn't get to try the samosas because Kiddo snaffled it all but the gateaux piment was crunchy on the outside and creamy in the inside like how the good ones should be.

Maison Eureka, Mauritius, smoked marlin salad
Feeling like I should be making wiser eating choices, I ordered myself a smoked marlin salad. It was so crunchy and fresh.

Maison Eureka, Mauritius, dodo
Maison Eureka

Maison Eureka, Mauritius, beef curry
Beef curry with peanuts and croutons

It was the mains that really made my day. I'll go so far to say that it was one of the best traditional Creole meals I've ever had. P had the beef curry which was a dry curry with peanuts and croutons.

Maison Eureka, Mauritius, chicken masala
Chicken masala

Maison Eureka, Mauritius, chicken masala, lentil stew
Heaven on a plate!

I had a traditional chicken masala. This, my friend, was to die for. The meat was so tender and the sauce so aromatic.

Maison Eureka, Mauritius
Maison Eureka

Maison Eureka, Mauritius, side dishes
Side dishes

The curries were served with rice and a selection of side accompaniments - peanut rougaille (P's favourite); pumpkin fricasse (my favourite); coconut chutney and olive pickles.

Maison Eureka, Mauritius, lentil stew
Lentil stew

Maison Eureka, Mauritius, rice
Rice

And we also had a serve of lentil stew to go with. The stew itself was like a comforting hug - lovely to gloop over the curry and rice.

Maison Eureka, Mauritius, grilled chicken
Kiddo ordered the grilled chicken and chips. It was a tender slice of breast with a side salad of coleslaw and chips. She ate it all with relish.

Maison Eureka, Mauritius, ice cream
Vanilla ice cream with caramelised coconut

Maison Eureka, Mauritius, fruit platter
Fruit platter

Desserts were a fruit platter and vanilla ice cream with caramelised coconut.

Maison Eureka, Mauritius, Mauritian Fody
While we were eating we were blessed with a visit from a Mauritian Fody which is a rare indigenous bird. It was a male fody with its red body. The setting couldn't be more magical.

Maison Eureka, Mauritius

Maison Eureka, Mauritius

Verdict

We loved it
We loved it.
Mid value
Mid value (when converted to Australian dollars)

Overall

I originally visited Maison Eureka for a taste of traditional Creole cuisine but was equally blown away by the house and garden. An afternoon of good food and history - perfect.

Find it at

Maison Eureka
Moka, Mauritius
Phone: +230 433 8477

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Love it.

African country but strong Indian influences. Have been lucky enough to work with a couple of Mauritians and sounds like a fascinating place.

Anon-e-Fil

EatAndBeMerryCrew said...

Definitely worth a visit. The food is an amazing melding of cultures

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