Far from the hustle and bustle of the capital, the Café du Vieux Conseil offers a pleasant setting where one comes to taste the chef's specialties whilst sitting on the wide Creole terraces.  Time seems to stop here.   

There is no air conditioning.  In the shade of hundred-year-old trees, the Café du Vieux Conseil guarantees, for its customers, a welcome breeze during very hot periods.  Everyday, the Café du Vieux Conseil, located at the end of an alley and a few steps from the theatre of Port Louis, attracts real foodies, looking not only for good food but also shade and quiet, far from the hustle and bustle of the town centre.  This culinary institution is a meeting place for the capital's businessmen.  Here, major contracts are sometimes signed over a good meal and a glass of wine.     

To reach the restaurant, one must walk a few metres along a cobblestone alleyway. A relic of the past when horse-drawn-carriages rolled up and down the streets of the capital.  Proverbs from another era can be read on the metal plates fixed onto the alleyway's streetlights: "Fear of being understood by the bourgeois, proves that one is nothing,"; "The word God is the most perfect of abbreviations."  Heterogeneous thoughts that from time to time make passers-by smile.   

Once one has stepped through the wrought iron entrance, one is brought a few decades back in the past.  The Creole architecture endows a sweet scent of nostalgia that is particularly appreciated by those who have witnessed the frantic development of Port Louis in recent years.  "It's a fantastic area that has preserved its style.  This is also why we are always keen to come here," says Robert, a regular customer.  It's not superfluous here.  The giant and colourful vases, set here and there across the restaurant, are the only fantasies that the owners have allowed themselves.  The murmur of the conversations is disturbed only by the lapping of the water, which flows out of the fountain located near the entrance.                 

Wide Creole verandas

Seated under the wide colonial style verandas, a few customers are starting their meals.  And as far as the menu is concerned, one is spoilt for choice.  Between the starters and the main courses, inspired by common international culinary, everyone can find something they like.  The cuisine of Café du Vieux Conseil wants to be Mauritian: chicken, deer or octopus curry served on a bed of rice with the traditional "tomato chutney."  The chef has nonetheless not forgotten those who fancy spicy Indian cooking or tasty Italian pasta dishes.  There is something to suit every taste.     

In addition to the dishes, one also drops by to sample the chef's specialty: the pancakes.  Both the sweet and sour are much appreciated by the customers who always ask for more.  Served with asparagus or thin slices of smoked marlin, they are simply delicious.  And for the dessert, you may go for the exotic-flavoured ice cream or let yourself be tempted by a banana flambé.