Restaurant Review: Le Dupleix in Pondicherry

We frolicked around the Pondicherry beach for close to 3 hours and sure enough, started getting the hunger pangs by the time the sun was overhead. Enough, I declared, let’s get back to the hotel, shower and go for lunch. Reluctant as they were, the father and the daughter, tried to protest, but gave up realising that any later, it would be too late for lunch. And we hadn’t even made any reservations.

We had set our mind on Le Dupleix for lunch on our last day at Pondicherry. On our way back to the hotel (read Review of Sea-Side Guest House), we called up the restaurant and booked our table. No taking chances!!!

Ambience at Le Dupleix in Pondicherry: Le Dupleix is a boutique hotel located in the French Colony, a few blocks away from the Pondicherry Promenade. Extremely elegant and stylish, the hotel building used to be the residence of the Mayor of Pondicherry three centuries ago. Restored with care and bearing in mind its history, every corner, wall, staircase, door, window, roof, painting, furniture, artefacts, tell tale of a glorious past.

They spread the dining across its ornate restaurant as well as its plant and gravel-filled refreshing courtyard. We opted for the restaurant since the humidity levels were high that afternoon, and we wanted the comfort of air-conditioning after the severe tanned out morning at the beach. The restaurant houses the bar and have about 5-6 tables that can sit both large groups as well as 2-3 member families, couples. Soft music, attentive staff, interiors and décor that speak of a bygone era, we were happy we chose Le Dupleix. Ambience is great no doubt, lets hope the food is too, we thought.

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Food at Le Dupleix in Pondicherry: By now, we were famished and needed a royal spread. They gave us a bread plate of Focaccia breads and one cone-like bread still warm from baking, while we studied the menu card.

The manager helped us chose an awesome seafood platter fittingly called the Chef Tasting Seafood Platter that had prawns, lobsters, shrimps and calamari. When the plate was laid before us, a small cry of joy and excitement passed out lips. What an assorted delight. Jayanta had ordered his Buds, while I had requested for a fruity cocktail that could fight the humidity and heat of that noon. The manager offered me the Frozen Masala Mango Daiquiri. That Daiquiri was the best I have had in my entire life!!! Strongly recommend you to request for it if dining in Le Dupleix.

The main course was Malabar Fish Curry with Steamed Rice. Cooked in traditional Kerala-style curry of coconut milk and curry leaves, the helping was large. I kept sipping my Daiquiri until the very end and was so enamoured by it, that I didn’t want to order desserts, fearing sweets would spoil the exquisite after-taste of the Daiquiri.

Final Word for Le Dupleix in Pondicherry: Please DO NOT leave Pondicherry without having dined here. At least once. Need I say anymore?