Chez Manuel

Chez Manuel is as far from a formal restaurant as it's possible to get: a corrugated roof, a concrete floor, plastic chairs, and a view of the Mahébourg bay where the fishing boats that supply the kitchen moor. Manuel Etienne has been running this place for 30 years, and his son now runs the grill while Manuel does the rounds with the rum. The fish — kapitaine, red snapper, parrotfish, and grouper — arrives on the table still sizzling from the coals, split and brushed with garlic butter and fresh lime. There is nothing elaborate about the seasoning because there's nothing elaborate about the fish: caught that morning, killed cleanly, cooked immediately. Accompaniments are the Mauritian standards: dholl puri or steamed rice, a bowl of rougaille (tomato sauce), some pickled chilli, and a glass of cold water. The octopus curry (cari zourite) takes all morning and is available in limited quantities — ask when you arrive whether they have it. The rum punch uses local agricole rum and is served in a chipped glass. Chez Manuel is on the itinerary of every food-first visitor to the south, but it's also the Sunday lunch destination for extended Mauritian families from the surrounding villages, which tells you everything about its authenticity and its cooking.