Blue Bay Cafe

I always forget their address and walk up and down Roncesvalles trying to find them, even though I have been going in for their Chicken Min Friere for almost 25 years! I love this dish and have cravings for it, because it reminds me of how Guyanese people make what they call ‘chow mein’. Since first going to this little gem of a restaurant that only opens two days a week (Fridays and Saturdays) – I have moved 3 or 4 times but always come back to the Blue Bay Café, tiny as it is.

The only Mauritian restaurant in the GTA that I’m aware of. Fortunately the food is fantastic and reminds me of the delicious home cooked Mauritian food my mom used to make. Best to go with a group and try a variety of dishes but our favorites are; curried octopus, fish with eggplant and the mine frire. I first ate here in 1985 and I believe it’s the same location and owners from beginning. I would eat here more often but they are only open for dinner and not everyday. Great for takeout as the dining room is very basic and casual. Please Maryanne and family don’t retire !

We tried the palm heart and okra salad, the shrimp and mushroom soup, the curried octopus and the fish vindaye. The soup was quite bland. The salad was decent but also had a lot of lettuce in it. The octopus was ok and might have been better if we hadn’t asked for mild to be able to share with our kid. I didn’t care for the onions on top of the fish that tasted kind of sour.
Atmosphere was nice, service quick, but based on the food, I don’t think we’ll be going back.

This is my favourite restaurant in Toronto. The food is delicious and unlike anything I’ve had anywhere else. Get the chicken cutlet /​côtelette de volaille, any of the fish dishes, the okra, the mein friere (sp?), the ratatouille, and for the love of all things sacred, eat every last bit of the chutney and coleslaw they put on the table.

Short version: This place is worth going out of your way to try. It’s easily accessible via streetcar and/​or subway, right near the junction of Roncesvalles Ave and Dundas. Not sure why it’s showing up as four dollar signs on Unilocal though because it’s certainly NOT that expensive – all of the entrees were about $ 12 – 15.
Long version: I have wanted to try this place for ages but never seem to be nearby when it’s open as they’re only open for dinner (they open at 5PM), and today I finally caught them! Tried the fish vindaye, which was probably one of the most flavourful fish dishes I have ever had. The salsa that came with it was so good I actually ate what I didn’t use on the fish straight out of the tiny dish it came in. The portion size was perfect – it came with rice and a coleslaw-​type side (which was good and I don’t even like coleslaw!) and I ate everything without feeling overly stuffed. Probably had room for a samosa or soup at the beginning of the meal, but as I rarely finish an entire meal at a restaurant at once I didn’t chance it this time. Maybe next time, because I’ll definitely be back.

Mauritius is a tiny (Mississauga-​sized) island in the Indian ocean, but it’s actually quite interesting with a storied past and beautiful vistas. I haven’t been to Mauritius yet (my fiancée is from there), but if the Blue Bay Café is even a half decent representation of the food there, I will love it!
I thought it would be a fun surprise to take my fiancée here on her birthday, and she wasn’t expecting it at all! It’s pretty awesome that we have a Mauritian restaurant in Canada, given that Mauritius’ population is barely over 1 million, and even better that it is really good.
I’ve given away my bottom line, sure, but I wasn’t expecting this place to be this good. It’s very Toronto (I’m from the burbs), so small, quaint and very non-​corporate (all good things I suppose) as well non-​trendy. It’s like, real, man.
We ordered the crevette au couer de palmiste (shrimp served with tangy palm hearts) for her, and I ordered the carri ourite (octupus curry). Both of these came with rice and two kinds of chutneys.
The shrimp dish wasn’t bad at all. The shrimp, not bad in portion was well-​cooked and flavourful, but the palm hearts lacked discernible taste and the sauce they were in was bland as well. My fiancée really regretted not ordering the octopus (we usually order different dishes to be able to sample more) since she loves her mom’s octopus curry, but more so because it was absolutely fantastic!
This dish was the showstopper, the dish you go to this restaurant for. Octopus is a difficult protein to cook right. Unlike other kinds of seafood, you don’t just cook it fast & high and simply make sure you don’t overcook it. Octopus needs to stew… for a while. It goes from just tender (when its not really cooked) to hard to tender again at some point in the cooking process, and you will find that most places do not do it right. The Blue Bay café does. The curry itself was just delicious, and even now, after much time has passed, the flavour lingers on in my mind, beckoning.
You don’t need to worry about what Mauritian food is or isn’t, or whether you’ll like it. Like a restaurant of the highest grade, the people at the back of the Blue Bay café really care about their food, and it shows. This is what all restaurants should be like… good food, served without fuss.

Another one of my favourite places in the city, been coming here for over 20 years! The Mine Frire dishes are a favourite, along with the palm heart and okra salad. Mild, incredibly delicious samosas. Everything is fresh and delicious. Fish vindaye is one of the best fish dishes I have tasted anywhere.

I was asked what to recommend on the menu
1) Look for the curried octopus. It is good
2) Fish & Eggplant is also good
These are my favorites.