Le Café des Arts In Mauritius

Mauritius Wed 31-03-2010

Le Café des Arts In Mauritius
By a Correspondent

Witness of the golden ages of the Mauritian sugar industry, when there were some 300 active mills in Mauritius, Victoria 1840 is now in total rebirth.

Of course, no more ox-carts are bringing sugar cane to the mill, it is now producing the nectar aesthetics. The old mill is still the symbol of a dream come true but has been transformed and the old stone walls now hosts a restaurant which is bound to host the amateurs of good food. Good news!

Good news always come in couples; at Jocelyn Gonzalez’s restaurant, the walls are covered with contemporary art. The eye of the connoisseur keeps bouncing from one colour to the other and gets attracted by each of the superb works by Yvette Maniglier, all from Jocelyn Gonzalez’s collection. Each painting, each sculpture, each object is poetry.

This place is the proof that nothing is unrealisable to the man of deep faith and convictions. Jocelyn Gonzalez made it and gives us all hopes about our own goals as he proves that one can realise his deepest dreams.

He changed a relic of the Mauritian sugar heritage into a temple for contemporary arts. The man is talented; he was twenty years back, the leader of “Excalibur” a thirty-piece jazz band and is still an artist who feels every form of art.

Victoria 1840 is not an overnight project; he has been working on it since 2 years, looking for the ideal place although there are plenty of old mills in Mauritius, but most of them were too remotely located. He finally manages to lease this old building and vast lawn.

Important investments had to be made for building’s rehabilitation and Jocelyn Gonzalez considers his efforts as a means to be thankful to Mauritius for all it has brought to him and he is generous; especially as regards to the cuisine. The chef is Mauritian and the second is French. The restaurant also has its own pastry cook.

Gourmet and gastronome, Jocelyn Gonzalez puts a lot of emphasis on his cuisine. The menu is varied and changes every week or so.

He stresses on the point that his restaurant is not specially tourist orientated but caters mainly for Mauritians; his menu proposes dishes unknown to Mauritians.

However, the non-Mauritians also have something to discover as all sauces have hints of Mauritian flavours.

The cellar is another masterpiece but the prices are reasonable as Jocelyn believes that it is the duty of all good restaurants to make sure that everyone can afford some wine with his meal.

Opening hours:
Lunch: 12 p.m to 3 p.m
Dinner: 7 p.m to 10 p.m
Sundays on booking.

address: Victoria 1840, Victoria Road, Trou d'Eau Douce

Tel: (230) 480 0220

Fax: (230) 411 63 18

Website: www.maniglier.com

Private lectures on Art History and interview with the artist on demand

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