My friend and I were looking for a quiet place to eat after work. Both of us had not been to Marina Royale in Marigot in a while, so decided to find a restaurant there. Parking was easy, as it was a weekday. In the weekends, especially in high season, it can be a bit more of a hassle.
But the hassle is well worth it. As soon as we walked into the Marina I thought to myself: "Why don't I dine here more often?" The water, boats and shimmering lights of the festive restaurants create a fun-filled and romantic atmosphere.
Walking along the Marina, we found many restaurants to choose from. My friend and I were being very indecisive, when a very charming waiter caught our attention. He invited us in with a quick and tasty explanation of their specials, and with the promise of a free welcome drink. The latter definitely worked on my friend and me, so we sat down at a table close to the waterfront.
The waiter suggested a special "Caribbean" cocktail of rum, fruit juice and grenadine. It sounded yummy and we both decided to have one to start our night off. They were gorgeously presented, as well as dangerously sweet and easy to drink. We decided to share an appetizer, and finally chose the Snails in a Butter and Parsley Sauce. It was a close tie to their Mahi-Mahi Carpaccio, which also sounded very delicious. But as we were on the French side we thought "Escargots" were the way to go!
The rest of the menu had an array of pizzas, pastas and meat and fish dishes to choose from. I debated on having a pizza, as I had heard many rave reviews about them, and the lobster and shrimp pizza sounded amazing. But I was in the mood for some fish. I chose the Grouper served with Rice, Veggies and Creole Sauce and my friend one of the specials for the night: a whole Red Snapper.
Both dishes were presented in lovely way and as we were ravished, we dug in right away. My grouper was a bit on the salty side, as was the sauce. But seeing my slight displeasure the waiter offered to change my dish right away. My friend's whole Red Snapper was very tasty, though, so I decided to steal from her plate. The portions were big enough, so that we were both full at the end. Our wine, the house red wine, was also delicious.
We are never too full for dessert, though! The dessert card included cakes, crème brûlée and lots of various ice-cream specials, but the winner for me is always a chocolate fondue cake! We also ordered two espressos. When the waiter presented us the mouth-watering dessert and espresso, he also had a bottle of their homemade vanilla and spice rum with him. He poured us not one, but two shots and left the bottle on the table. They knew how to get a party-vibe started at La Main à la Pâte!
The dessert was a delectable ending to our dinner and the rum had us in a great mood. After we had taken care of the bill, we sauntered off into the night, enjoying the flickering lights reflecting into the gorgeous Lagoon and Waterfront.
Info:
La Main à la Pâte
French Cuisine & Pizzeria
Marigot Marina Royale
Phone: +(59) 0590 87 71 19
Cuisine: French, Pizza, Pasta, Desserts
Good: Great spot for a bite and drinks before a night out
Price range: 8 - 35 euros
Reservations: Not required
Vegetarian dishes: Available
Opening hours: Seven days a week until 10:00pm
Credit cards accepted
Ratings:
Staff friendliness 5
Service speed 3.5
Restaurant cleanliness 3.5
Food quality 3
Value for money 3
Ambience 4.5
Total 22.5/30
