Ashoka Sweets–Mauritian restaurant in Curepipe

Ashoka Sweets–Mauritian restaurant in Curepipe

Mauritius is an island whose food benefits from influences from India, Africa and China and France. It is a unique blend which Mauritians have taken for granted for so many years but which tourists are enjoying more and more. Although sometimes you need to step away from the tourist spots and hotels. Mauritius though is quirky in that although there are street names, places are known by locals by name or proximity to other landmarks. I always wonder how post is delivered as away from Port Louis, houses rarely have house numbers. Therefore, if you do visit Mauritius and would like to eat at Ashoka, just head for Curepipe and ask any of the locals to point your way to it, nestled in a side road just behind the shopping centre.

Ashoka  offer a variety of Indian sweets but it has become popular for its tasty thalis.

Ashoka caters for both vegetarians and non-vegetarians and has thali options for couples and families as well.

Since it is not in a tourist spot, the prices are very reasonable. A family thali that easily feeds 5 people is priced at 750 Mauritian rupees, about £15.

The naan bread is made in front of you in a clay naan oven and comes out wonderfully crispy and warm.

 

Whilst they are not gluten free, Mrs NMFS and I decided to have a little bit and bear the consequences of our gluten intolerance. It is hard to keep a free from diet in places such as Mauritius where gluten intolerance is not really heard of.

The selection of curries are varied and plentiful:

Okra curry with turmeric – nicely flavoured and not oily or sticky which can be the danger when using okra. Okra is a great vegetable which can be ignored as people might not know what to do with it.

Spicy eggplant, potatoes and peas – a favourite of Mrs NMFS. A nice compliment to the other curries.

Dhal – not too creamy and nicely flavoured.

Cauliflower curry – a little bit creamy but nevertheless nice.

Tomato and coriander chutney and mint and coconut chutney – not too hot.

Vegetable kofta – one of the highlights this really is a great curry with the softness of the kofta with a slightly crunchy outside.

Spicy green banana curry – this curry is sometimes forgotten but works really well when made correctly.

Jackfruit curry – always a treat. Jackfruit is the large prickly fruit seen in Caribbean and Asian supermarkets which should have a wider audience.

The danger as you can tell from the brief reviews of each dish, is that you can get overwhelmed by the variety but since they are prepared so well this should not be a concern other than eating too much! The ambience is definitely local but is refreshing compared to the sometimes stale ambience of tourist spots.

So, if you do make it to Mauritius and want to try some good local food at local prices, I would recommend Ashoka Sweets in Curepipe. You can even try one of the Indian sweets afterwards!

So, does anyone else have any recommendations for places to eat in Mauritius?