Restaurant Review: La Plaine St. André
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| By Niki Gower |
Fine dining in a classic setting
The restaurant at La Plaine St. André is housed in the main building of a heritage site that was originally established as a planter’s homestead over 200 years ago. An opportunity to dine amidst this pristinely preserved piece of living history is an honour in itself, even before you have even put the first bite of La Plaine St. Andre’s delicious cuisine to your lips.
The Trois Freres Distillery - the source of Takamaka Bay branded rum and vodkas - is also housed on the property. This blending of fine locally influenced cuisine and award winning spirits, which is set amidst the lush gardens and seeped in national history, makes for a unique and novel experience.
The restaurant and bar are set in the beautifully preserved original plantation house, sprawling out onto the encompassing veranda and into the beautiful garden. Stepping inside is like stepping back in time; diners are afforded the opportunity to relax and unwind in a living museum that is breathtaking in its aesthetics and atmosphere. Whether you prefer a veranda for a sit down meal,
sipping a rum on the comfy leather sofa’s as you share a moment with a friend, or enjoying sitting beneath the swaying leaves of an ancient tree in the courtyard, you are sure to find a spot that feels like it was made specifically for you!The food is a fusion of local and fine dining cuisine, which sees a welcome degree of refinement to a menu heavily influenced by the traditional Creole favourites – a formula that compliments the setting perfectly!
Suggested Menu: What we had
Suggested Menu: What we had
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| La Plaine St. Andre's sushi platter |
STARTERS: If you are visiting the restaurant on the first Friday of the month, you will be visiting on “Sushi Night.” The Sushi platter is served with a delicious mushroom soup starter and a complimentary Saki taster. If sharing for two, the Sushi platter makes for a great starter. If you are not partial to Sushi, though, or visiting any other night, the Tempura Prawns are a delicious and light option. Another tasty starter to whet the appetite is the Tuna Tartar – a tender diced tuna loin served with a zesty flavouring.
COCKTAILS: The Beached Mojito is a winner. This tropical twist on the traditional Mojito will leave you thirsty for more.
MAINS: the Octopus Coconut Curry is a refreshing rendition of this Creole favourite, and the fine-dining twist to the flavour will not disappoint. My partner had the Roast Vegetable and Octopus Salad, of which I had a taste and can attest that it is tasty and fresh option for anyone in the mood for a salad or something light as a main dish.
DESSERT: After all the above, neither of us were up to dessert, as much as we wished we were. The Banana and Ginger Crumble Tart and the Chocolate Fondant are two of the many reasons we will be back at La Plaine St. André again soon; their presentation and look is so good that we had to try them.
ENTERTAINMENT: This article would not be complete without mentioning the musical entertainment that added an extra special touch. The three piece roving band completed the magical atmosphere with their soulful melodies of guitar, drum and saxophone.
NIGHT CAP: No visit to the home of Takamaka Bay will be complete without taking up the restaurants offer of a rum tasting. For a very reasonable fee, you will be taken through the full range of their rum and vodka products, guided by one of the very knowledgeable bartenders. I recommend the rum tasting, as only by trying each one will you fine tune the distinction between them and find the Takamaka Bay product which is perfect for you.
La Plaine St, André is a great night out, whether you are treating that special someone to a romantic meal or just looking for a great place to unwind and have a drink (Happy hours are every Friday between 17:30 and 22:30). The restaurant offers something special to visitors and nowhere else can you enjoy great food, fine drink and a truly Seychelles’ experience – both past and present - all in one unique package.
{ This article, by Niki Gower, was originally published (in part) in the TODAY in Seychelles Newspaper on the 14.12.2012 (www.today.sc), and also appears on the travel blog www.seychellesliving.com. All photos copyright www.nikigowerphoto.com email: niki@silverspoonmedia.biz }
{ This article, by Niki Gower, was originally published (in part) in the TODAY in Seychelles Newspaper on the 14.12.2012 (www.today.sc), and also appears on the travel blog www.seychellesliving.com. All photos copyright www.nikigowerphoto.com email: niki@silverspoonmedia.biz }
Hike to the Port Glaud Waterfall
Looking for something to do on a sunny day in Seychelles? Why not get some friends together and enjoy the beautiful outdoors. A great day’s fun can be had visiting the Port Glaud Waterfall, which offers visitors magnificent scenery and a great place to swim. It is not really a hike either, as it is only a short and comfortable walk to the base of the main waterfall, and therefore does not require an athlete’s level of fitness to enjoy its cool waters.
However if you are in the mood to explore, and don’t mind getting a bit sweaty, then a hike to the top of the waterfall is a very rewarding experience. It is not an easy trip as there is no well defined path, but with a little determination and a healthy dose of bush-wacking you can get to the clearing at the top within 10 minutes. Once at the top of the falls, you will be rewarded with a stunning view down, as well as the opportunity to continue your hike and follow the river as it winds through palm groves and granite boulders, with many smaller waterfalls along its path. If a hike is what you are after, you can follow the river as far as you like, towards its source. On your return you will have the opportunity to cool off in the pool of the main falls as your reward.Directions for getting there:
If using the bus, travel as far as the Port Glaud church and get off at the open lot across the street. From there - driving or walking - you take a right at the church, and follow the road up along the mangroves on your left. You will arrive at a cluster of houses and continue go through the neighbourhood, keeping left when the road forks. You will eventually get as far a car can travel (dirt parking lot on the left, dont take the VERY steep right turn), and you will see the path leading off towards the waterfall on the left. From there it is a short five minute walk. If you would like to continue on to the top of the falls, then the path can be found on the left hand side of the water fall (It has been said if you take that very steep right turn you can get to the top of the waterfall by road, I can't verify this, so try so at your own risk)...{ This article, by Niki Gower, was originally published (in part) in the TODAY in Seychelles Newspaper on the 11.07.2013 (www.today.sc), and also appears on the travel blog www.newworldnomad.blogspot.com. All photos copyright www.nikigowerphoto.com email: niki@silverspoonmedia.biz }
Leaving home for my first taste of paradise
O.R. Tambo International Airport (Johannesburg) is a strange place to be on a Sunday night. Usually buzzing with travelers and co; chaotically checking in, declaring something, saying goodbyes and welcoming loved ones bought in from the skies. Breathing people in from distant lands, and exhaling others in a steady cycle. Not on a Sunday. This huge space is empty. Its Eerie. The scattered employees man their posts, de-animated and robotic Vacant, distant, bored and sometimes lonely eyes stare back at me for a moment, and then flinch away. The odd traveler moves in seemingly slow motion as their paths intersect mine. I turn back and there is no trace of the full British Airways flight I came in on from Port Elizabeth, the passengers, the friendly couple sitting next to me, everyone seems to have been absorbed into the ether of this hollow space. I'm Lost. I zigzag through rows of cordoned off queuing corridors. Theres no-one else besides me and the teller within sight, he can here me coming, he can see me getting closer, then further, then closer again. After a half marathon of pushing my trolley through that maze I reach the front. . .
At this point I need to admit that I have had my oversized headphones on my ears since I checked-in in Port Elizabeth, my carefully selected playlist blasting out of my X10, keeping me securely inside my head, my eyes like a camera lens peering out of my hoodie. He lifts his head to greet me and I pull back my hoodie and slide my headphones around my neck...wow, its a whole other world out here.
Politely I am told I have walked in a full circle and pretty much right where I'd started. I look around but don't believe him. I am directed to the exact opposite side of the airport . . .
Woah! As I turn a corner I'm greeted by an airplanes count of people standing in the Air Seychelles check-in queue. There are only two flights to the Seychelles from South Africa, one on a Friday night, and the one that I am on: 23:55 on a Sunday night. I check-in and move through metal detectors, luggage scans and passport police and step into the International departures section of the airport.
Woah! Its like stepping through a portal into another world; All of a sudden there are open shops and and people everywhere. Its a shopping mall, Its almost midnight and I NEED a smoke . . .
I'm Sitting in the smoker's lounge of Ekaya: Destination Flavour. The Heineken I quaffed on on my connecting flight has led me here. Marzen Gold Draft in Hand. The air is heavy, saturated with the constant smoke of the travelers stranded here. In Limbo we wait, for journeys to begin, or mid-way between the places we just were, and the destinations where we will soon be. Spirits are high, Spirits are low. People are chatting, some sleeping, others just staring.
The Seychelles, I dont think its quite set in yet . . . *
* Words in Italics denote extracts from my hand written journal.
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