At noon, all over Mauritius, the same ritual repeats itself: a pot lid is lifted, a plate is filled, and someone asks "what's the menu today?". The menu du jour — the daily plate — is the quietest and sturdiest institution in Mauritian cooking. No menu card, no endless choice: one complete plate, cooked that same morning, different every day. At Chez Boom in Grand Baie, it is the heart of our lunchtime. Here is how the tradition works — and why it deserves defending.
One plate, four pillars
The Mauritian midday plate almost always rests on the same architecture: rice, grains — slow-cooked red beans, lentils or dried peas —, a meat or fish in sauce, and a salad or vegetables for freshness. It is a balance inherited from generations of family kitchens: starch to carry you through the day, pulses to nourish, a sauce to bind it all, something crisp to finish. The portions are generous by design: for many workers this is the main meal of the day, and the plate is built to carry them through to the evening. A typical example at our counter: rice, red beans, chicken salmi and lettuce salad.
Salmi, the everyday sauce
Among the meats in sauce, salmi holds a special place. It is a Mauritian-style braise: the meat — very often chicken — is browned, then simmered slowly in a sauce of onions, tomato and spices until it falls apart. The name comes from the French "salmis", but the dish has been fully adopted and reshaped by the island, like so many others. Poured over hot rice, with grains on the side, it is the very taste of a Mauritian lunch: simple, deep, comforting.
Why the menu changes every day
A daily menu that never changes is not a daily menu — it is a menu card in disguise. Ours is decided each morning, according to the market: the fish of the day, whichever vegetables look good, the price of things. The plate you eat on a Tuesday simply does not exist on the Wednesday. That constraint is actually a guarantee. It forces us to cook fresh, in limited quantities, with no overflowing freezer and no sauce that has been waiting for three days. It also keeps the pleasure intact: our regulars ask what the menu is every single morning, and that is exactly how it should be.
Rs 250 for a full home-cooked plate
The menu du jour costs Rs 250. For that price you get a whole plate — rice, grains, meat in sauce, salad — cooked that same morning, the way it would be at home. Not a starter, not a snack portion: a real lunch that keeps you going, in the great tradition of the Mauritian canteen. It is the dish we take the most care over, because it is the one that looks most like what we would serve at our own table.
Come before 1pm — or order before noon
One pot, cooked in the morning: when it is empty, it is over, and that is almost always before 1pm. The smart move is to order by phone or WhatsApp on +230 5987 8153 before noon — it is ready when you arrive. Chez Boom, Monday to Friday, 7am to 2pm, on the main road in Grand Baie, next to the football pitch. The menu changes tomorrow; the tradition does not move.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Mauritian menu du jour?
One complete plate, cooked that same morning and different every day: rice, grains — slow-cooked red beans, lentils or dried peas —, a meat or fish in sauce, and a salad or vegetables.
How much does the daily menu cost at Chez Boom?
Rs 250. For that price you get a whole plate — rice, grains, meat in sauce, salad — cooked that same morning, in the great tradition of the Mauritian canteen.
What is a salmi?
A Mauritian-style braise: the meat, very often chicken, is browned then simmered slowly in a sauce of onions, tomato and spices until it falls apart. The name comes from the French "salmis".
Why does the menu change every day?
It is decided each morning according to the market: the fish of the day, whichever vegetables look good, the price of things. That constraint forces us to cook fresh and in limited quantities — hence a single pot, which almost always empties before 1pm.