Les Délices de l’Île Maurice

When i first moved to Verdun (i don’t live there anymore), this was one of the first restaurant that i’ve been to. I fell in love! The owners are SUPER friendly. The husband in the kitchen and the wife in the front of the house. They make you feel like you are part of the family and you do feel that way.
The food… it has this homemade comforting soul food style to it. It’s like going to an aunt’s house for dinner. The price is more then reasonable. You can eat well for around 20 $ per person. When you order a main, it automatically comes with a portion of deliciously crispy fried cabbage and a soup. Appetizers are about 4 – 5 $. My favourite would be the fried coconut shrimp appetizer, fish and shrimp dish or the lamb shank. It comes with salad and rice. The main dishes are around 15 $, give or take. I NEVER finish my plate! That’s how big the portions are.
I would once in awhile drive all the way there just for the food. Plus, they always recognizes their regulars. Even after a year abroad on hiatus like me ;)
IT’S BYOB!!!

Had been eager to come to this restaurant for so long! A true hidden gem!
It’s a small restaurant, service was good and fast, each meal comes with fried cabbage appetizer, soup and tea/​coffee.
I recommend the heiken entrée, I had the Lamb Shank in Creole sauce: to die for!
Definitely would come back to this restaurant.

Had the coconut shrimp as an app. Was very delicious. Would definitely order that again. Wife and I each had the lamb shank and it was very tender and juicy.
Meal came with fried cabbage and soup to start. Both yummy but i especially liked the fried cabbage as I’ve never had it before.
It was a small restaurant so service was good. Didn’t make us wait long in between courses.

La pieuvre au cari était bonne et tendre; pas du tout caoutchouteuse! J’ai aussi aime ma petite soupe aux pois cassés et coriandre.
On n’y va pas pour la présentation des plats ou le décor, mais plutôt une cuisine aux saveurs délicieuses.
Les prix sont plus que raisonnables et c’est un apportez votre vin.
On y retournera certainement!

This is my second time at this interesting little restaurant. It is bring your own wine/​beer, so my husband and I picked up some beer before we arrived. I suggest a light, refreshing lager, as my husband’s heavy new castle brown ales proved to be a bit too heavy to be mixed with the cuisine. We got the fried cabbage to start which is definitely indulgent, and I naturally, dosed mine with hot sauce, which I tend to do with anything deep fried. We ordered the veggie samosas as a starter, and they were fantastic. Just the right amount of spicy and savory, and the dipping sauce was more Asian influence. The soup was next, and it was a nice pea soup with a coriander bite to it. My husband ordered the lamb shank with the honey marinade and I had the chicken noodle plate. We really enjoyed both meals, mine definitely reminded me of Chinese noodles with a different palate of spices. This is what is interesting about the cuisine, it definitely has a standard schezuan appearance but with a different spice palate, which makes it interesting. Definitely hints of African/​Caribbean/​French/​Indian influences in the food. But like most Asian influenced restaurant foods, it is a bit on the salty side. We had the desert which was a hockey-​puck shaped custard concoction in syrup. It wasn’t too sweet but it was a tad bland. In summary, this is a great place to try if you like spicy/​savory and cultural fusion cuisine. Also, it’s not too expensive and you can bring your own boos, so it’s great for someone adventurous and on a budget.

This is one of my favorite restaurants in Verdun. Prices are on the low side (around $ 12-​$ 15 per dish, which includes soup, appetizer and coffee or tea). Portions are generous and you have many flavors (sauces) to choose from.
The restaurant’s ambiance is homey and friendly, not fancy at all.
Plus, it’s BYOW, which is awesome.
I give them four stars because last time when I ordered to take out, the food wasn’t as good as in the restaurant. Also, last time I went they didn’t take credit cards.
Overall, this is a great place. Must try if you like both Chinese and Indian flavors.

Buddy and I were out Saturday night looking for Verdun eats, trying to find a place neither of us had gone to but at the same time, not too overpriced. Neither of us wanted to pay for a $ 20 hamburger.
Lo and behold, we stumbled upon Les Delices. It turns out their specialty is the food of that tiny island in the Indian Ocean, Mauritius. Because of the island’s history and closeness to both India and Africa, the cuisine of Mauritius has all these different influences. Curry, coconut milk, rice, saffron, lamb from the Indian and Muslim presence on the island. Octopus, ox-​tail, beans, fish cakes, Cajun, Creole from the African influence. Throw in a Chinese, Old Dutch and French, and that’s Mauritius for you.
We spotted a complete dinner menu including appetizer, main and coffee/​tea for between $ 16-​$ 12. What really stopped me dead in my tracks was this included curried lamb shank for $ 14. Seriously, where on earth can you get lamb, done very well for under $ 30 in this day and age?
This is one thing which upsets me about ethnic dining in general especially when trying out the foods from smaller, poorer countries which are usually off the foodie radar screen. Very often, they are run by recently arrived immigrants who are trying to start out a new life. They usually don’t have a lot of money to put into décor and making it look chi-​chi. It’s usually the bare-​bones school of décor. Instead they put their heart and soul into the food. People look in, judge, get turned off and the place is then not open for very long. Judging a book by it’s cover here, will make you miss out on the treasures to be found within, that’s for sure.
We were warmly welcomed and seated. Stickers citing this place from all sorts of guides and guidebooks were plastered all over the front door. Within a minute of being seated, we were given an «amuse-​bouche», a pre-​appetizer of deep friend cabbage fritters. I never had anything that was so simple and yet, very tasty. Dowse it with the choices of hot pepper, garlic or mint sauce sitting on your table and you’re set.
Next came the fried calamari and fish balls. Both were great, the calamari was made with a batter that clearly had some fresh herbs in it.
Then came the lamb shank.
OMFG! It was falling off the bone, it was that super tender and flavorful. You have your choices of sauces which you’d like your meat to be prepared in, like Curry, Cajun, Creole, Saffron and others which i can’t remember right now. I chose the curry sauce and it was amazing. It came with a heaving serving of rice and salad. By the end, neither of us could barely move, it was that rich and that filling. The owners and servers were extremely friendly and attentive.
They even gave us a free desert, a selection of cheesecakes. Bonus, this place is BYOB.
I am definitely going to go back to at least try out the octopus and ox-​tail stew. This place is a gem in the rough, but a gem nonetheless.