La Perle Noire Restaurant — Restaurant in Mahé

Honestly I didn't understand all the hype about this place. Probably my expectations were high after everybody said it's a must to eat here if you are in Beau Vallon. The food is decent. But not more than that. We've had far more superior tuna tartar in La Plage (which has a great view, by the way). There's a view of dry mangroves roots and some trees in the garden, in front of the terrace of Le Perle Noire. We were sitting too tight, close to other tables on the terrace. This type of ambiance did not amuse me, to say the least. Having tasted fish ceviche at various Central and South American countries, I must say that I expected something else when we ordered it at this restaurant. Based on the word "ceviche", my verdict: Not even close... For the main course, the waitress suggested her favorite dish, which was red snapper with 'basilicum' sauce (as she explained). The dish is called Fish 'La Perle Noire". The result was a filet smeared in pesto, which was the dominant ingredient and annihilated all the fish taste. You can put anything in this sauce and it will taste the same (in my humble, subjective opinion, please don't get mad if you disagree:-)). The service was friendly. I'll probably try some other dishes next year. Maybe we weren't as lucky as other happy and excited...

We had a nice date night this evening in La Perle Noire, we came off of a recommendation from a friend and through the high reviews. Starter: the tuna carpaccio lacked flavour and was quite plain, especially in comparison to the tartare 'maison' which was jam packed with flavours of orange, passionfruit, hazelnut and tomato. It was beautiful. Mains: the grilled prawns in garlic butter with rice was very tasty, however we needed to ask for more sauce as it began to get dry. The fillet 'perle noire' was red snapper with pesto sauce and tomatoes. I would of liked some more balsamic glaze to add some tangyness to the flavour as it was covered in pesto. The chips were standard no issues there. Dessert: the creme caramel was EXCELLENT. one of the best we've tasted! I would also recommend the ice cream with coconut caramel, which is a beautiful Creole dessert consisting of crunchy flakes of coconut that have been caramelised. 10/10 for desserts.

Overall we've given this a 4 out of 5 due to the area we were sitting. We were on the last table, facing out to the trees and my husband was looking at the car park all evening (see the photo). Expected better from a high end restaurant.

Total cost / price for 2 drinks, 2 starters, 2 mains, 2 desserts = 1850 SCR

Hope this...

We tried this restaurant twice and weren't disappointed. The first occasion was for a birthday, which was a truly excellent experience, with good food and some humourous and interesting conversations with the restaurant's team and owners. The second time wasn't just as great but still very good by any standards. We would thoroughly recommend going to La Perle Noire where the food is paramount. The best idea would be to stay around Beau Vallon and either walk to the restaurant or take a short taxi ride, which is only a few minutes. If you're staying in the Story Resort or somewhere close to their, then a walk from the restaurant back along the beach after the meal is very cool indeed, with stars everywhere and the ocean sounds ever-present. In terms of recommended food, the grouper is huge and worth tackling, while any of the carpaccio starters are great. There is also an excellent wine selection as well as cocktails to be tried. Overall, we would definitely revisit when we return to the...