Kuumba Moka Telfair — Restaurant in Moka

If I could give this place 0 stars, I would. The drinks are the only reason I’m giving it 1 star, they were the only thing we enjoyed.

The waitress/waiters were kind and did their best, but unfortunately the overall experience was ruined by the non-Mauritian manager, who acted like she owned the place and was extremely rude and condescending. I’ve never experienced such treatment anywhere in Mauritius.

We were seated quickly as I had a reservation, but it still took around 20 minutes before any waiter came to take our order, and then another 45 minutes before the food arrived. We had specifically asked for starters and mains to be served separately, but everything was brought together. The starter was cold, but since we were so hungry we just ate it.

We ordered cauliflower tacos, pasta aglio olio, and chicken kiev. Sadly, the chicken kiev was served undercooked still pink in the middle. We didn’t realise at first and had already eaten about half of it. To be fair, part of the reason I overlooked the pink centre was my own mistake, I initially confused it with chicken cordon bleu (which the restaurant doesn’t serve) and assumed the colour might be from ham. I even explained this to the waitress. But at the end of the day, raw chicken should never be served.

While the waiters and waitress were apologetic, the manager’s response was appalling. Instead of showing genuine concern, she remarked that “it looks like you enjoyed the chicken since there’s only a quarter left.” This is unacceptable nobody “enjoys” eating raw chicken, and the health risks of salmonella are VERY real.

When I confronted her about the long delay and the fact that starters and mains were all brought together, she questioned the waitress in front of us. The waitress avoided answering directly and even ran into the kitchen instead of acknowledging that we had asked for the dishes separately. I had to press her repeatedly before she admitted the truth. Yet, rather than apologising, the manager brushed it off and continued to be dismissive.

On top of all this, the food is ridiculously overpriced. My pasta aglio olio with prawns cost Rs 500 and came with maybe five tiny frozen shrimp, definitely not the good kind. Just pasta, olive oil, and five frozen prawns is impossible to justify at that price.

Every decent restaurant takes food safety and customer concerns seriously. Sadly, here the staff were left embarrassed while the manager’s attitude made a bad experience even worse. This place needs a serious...

While the atmosphere is cosy, the service was extremely slow and disappointing. We waited almost 45 minutes for our food, only to be let down by both the quality and the accuracy of our order.

We ordered three burgers and two pastas. Before ordering, we specifically asked about the difference between the gourmet and normal burger. The waitress informed us that a normal burger would include cheese, salad, onions, and sauce. She also asked how we wanted our patties cooked, and we requested all three to be medium rare.

When the burgers arrived, they were far from what was described. The buns were overly toasted (almost burnt), the patties were dry, and they lacked basic toppings—no cheese, no onions, just a single slice of tomato and lettuce. There was also a mix-up, as one of the burgers was not supposed to have mayonnaise. The pastas were mediocre at best, with rubbery canned mushrooms that did not add to the dish.

When we asked about the delay, we were told that "many staff members went to celebrate Valentine's Day," which is hardly a valid excuse for such poor service.

Given the price, the experience was far from worth it. Unfortunately, both the food and service fell well below...

Kuumba serves some of the best coffee in town, complemented by a truly creative and exciting food menu. I have tried quite a few dishes, and most of them have been truly delicious – a fantastic range of flavors, from savory to sweet.

It is an amazing place to sit down and work, with picturesque views of Telfair. The ambiance is perfect for a productive day.

Unfortunately, the service can be incredibly frustrating. I have had numerous orders come out wrong, with missing items all the time. It is a real shame because it detracts from the overall experience.

Most of the staff are lovely and apologetic when things go wrong, but there's one particular cashier (foreign, I believe) who consistently seems to have a bit of an attitude. I have witnessed this with other customers too, and it is not a pleasant.

Despite these service issues, I keep going back because the food is just that good, and the setting is so lovely. However, I would strongly recommend visiting their Ebene outlet for a first timer if you want to have the best possible...