Toamasina and the Northeast - Madagascar - page 476

THE LEGEND OF DARAFIFY
Hilary Bradt
Many,manyyearsago,whenMadagascarwasstillyoung,thelandwassurroundedby
freshwater.OnedayagiantnamedDarafifycamestridingdowntheeasternshoreline,
carrying a bag of salt over one shoulder. He paused for a rest. A fisherman paddling
his pirogue saw what he thought were two enormous trees standing on the edge of the
water These were splendid trees, with fine, straight, brown trunks, just the thing for a
new pirogue. So he started to cut the nearest one down with his axe.
Darafify let out a roar of pain and dropped his bag of salt in the water. Since then
the sea has been salty.
Pacifique [282C4]22RueGClemenceau; 5332223; 11.00-14.00&18.00-22.00
(restaurant); 09.00-13.30 & 18.00-21.30 ( soupe Chinoise); both closed Mon. Chinese res-
taurant serving very good meals at reasonable prices.
LaRécrea [281D4]BdRatsimilaho; m 0320461071; 10.00-23.00.Pleasantsetting
on the beach. Good food & nice place for a drink. Live music some w/ends. Bar, billiards
& boutique.
Zoreal [282 C5] 11 Bd Joffre; 53 332 36; Tue/Thu/Fri/Sat 11.00-14.30 & daily
17.30-00.00. Local hangout with pool tables, darts & bar. French & Creole food, plus ex-
cellent pizzas.
Lilas [281 B1] Rte d'Ivoloina; 53 324 12; Tue-Sun 07.30-13.00 & 15.30-19.30,
Mon closed. Small but clean & pleasant family-run Chinese restaurant. Tasty meals &
soups at good prices.
Mora Mora [281 A1] Bd Labourdonnais; m 032 02 775 99; Mon-Sat 12.00-14.30
& 18.00-24.00, Sun closed. Good food with a diverse menu featuring French & Malagasy
dishes, as well as crêpe specialities. Nice décor with TV & bar.
L'Univers [281 C3] Bd Joffre; 24hrs. Rather gritty outfit in the west side of the stadi-
um. Serves grills & simple dishes.
Don Camillo [281 B3] Bd de la Libération; m 032 07 668 10; Tue-Sat 10.00-21.00,
Sun/Mon 17.00-21.00. Italian food & bar. Eat in, take away or delivery. The thin crispy
pizzas gets great reviews from local expats.
Fortuna [282 C4] Rue de la Batterie; 53 338 28; 11.00-13.30 & 18.00-21.30
(restaurant); 07.15-11.00 & 17.00-20.30 ( soupe Chinoise); both closed Mon. Very good
Chinese restaurant (but slow service) & adjacent soupe Chinoise serving the eponymous
soup & noodle specialities.
Jade [281 B5] 44 Rue Lattre de Tassigny; 53 335 65; Mon-Sat 11.00-13.30 &
18.00-21.30, Sun closed. Chinese restaurant with excellent food, including vegetarian op-
tions. Reasonably priced lunch specials.