Maloya

"With its well-stocked bar full of rhum agricole and tropical cocktails, this restaurant in Bushwick feels like an escape to the island of Réunion. Though the bar, which runs the length of the candlelit room, is Maloya’s main draw, the homestyle food is also a great introduction to Indian Ocean créole cooking, making this a good choice for low-key drinks that might just turn into dinner. Colorful posters of Réunion's mountains and beaches line the sea-green walls, and though your server might be wearing flannel, the zouk playlist and tropical fruit murals create a relaxed, summery atmosphere. Start with a well-mixed ti' punch before moving on to pours of rhum agricole or some French wine—and definitely get the assorted snack platter with your drinks. It comes in a woven basket with a little toy-sized pot of chutney, and should include the excellent pork samoussas, fragrant with combava (makrut) and the bonbon piment, and crunchy lima bean fritters. photo credit: Rob Casimiro photo credit: Rob Casimiro photo credit: Rob Casimiro You could stop there, but the entrees, all under $25, are worth delving into for a taste of subtly spiced créole cooking. Try the swordfish massalé, tender cubes of swordfish in a tamarind broth, or the housemade sausages in the rougail saucisses. Just don’t expect heavy seasoning or fancy plating. This is more like having a meal in a Réunionese home, complete with double-handed cooking pots, directly from the island. Food Rundown photo credit: Rob Casimiro Drinks You can get pours of about 20 different rhums, starting at $8 for 1oz. French wines start at $12 a glass, and cocktails, several of them made with rhum, start at $14. Start with the premixed ti’ punch, with agricole Réunion rhum, lime and sugar, then see where the evening takes you. photo credit: Sonal Shah Appetizers Choose an assortment of four appetizers to share with a couple of friends. We’d recommend the crispy little samoussas (get the pork, and the tuna), bonbon piment with hard crunchy shells, and the boulette morue: airy salt cod and potato fritters. photo credit: Sonal Shah Entrees Get one of these gravy-style dishes per person, and share them. They come with fragrant rice and homestyle lentils or limas, and are subtly spiced. We’ve liked the espadon massalé, with tender cubes of swordfish poached in a tamarind broth, and the almost meatball-like texture of the sausages in the rougail saucisses. But the shrimp poached in vanilla creme fraiche, a créole version of beouf bourguignon, and the braised lamb leg—all of which come in at under $25—are on our bucket list. Sides Add the rougail citron and rougail dakatine as condiments to your meal. The first is a simple but punchy onion pickle with lime rind, and the second a gently spiced tomato-peanut chutney. photo credit: Sonal Shah Desserts The homemade combava ice cream is lovely: dense and creamy, yet also milky tasting, with the subtle aftertaste of makrut lime. And the ginger version tastes like a gingersnap that’s been dipped in cream tea. Try one of the cakes—made with things like almond, rhum, yucca, or corn—and finish off with a shot of spice or citrus-infused rhum." - Sonal Shah

"A long bar stocked with rhum agricole is Maloya’s biggest draw, but the food at this candlelit Réunionese restaurant is also a great introduction to Indian Ocean créole cooking, making this a good choice for low-key drinks that might turn into dinner. Get an assorted snack platter—it comes in a woven basket with a toy-sized pot of chutney, and should include the excellent pork samoussas, fragrant with combava (makrut). You could stop there, but the entrees, all under $25, are worth delving into. Try the swordfish massalé, tender cubes of swordfish in a tamarind broth, or the rougail saucisses with housemade sausages. Just don’t expect heavy seasoning or fancy plating. This is more like having a meal in a home, complete with double-handed cooking pots, directly from the island." - neha talreja, hannah albertine, bryan kim, sonal shah, willa moore

"And now New York City has its first Réunion restaurant that I know of, Maloya, at 983 Flushing Avenue, at Central Avenue, in Bushwick, with food that reflects the island’s gumbo of influences. Take, for example, camarons coco vanille ($23). A generous fistful of pink crustaceans splash in a pool of coconut milk that smacks of vanilla and lime — an unusual flavor combination, but one you’ll fall in love with. Maloya is the work of Samuel Lebreton, whose family comes from Réunion and whose mother’s recipes provide inspiration for the menu; he is joined by his partner Tara Gruszkiewicz, a chef from Connecticut. The combination dining room and bar is decorated with giant murals of tropical fruit, including the South African pineapples known as anana Victoria, and red lychee nuts in a thicket of foliage. The menu is brief, limited to five appetizers, six main courses, and a handful of unusual sides. Indeed, Maloya seems more like a bar than a restaurant." - Robert Sietsema

"Come for the ti’ punch and wide selection of rhum agricole, and stay for the créole food at this sea green island escape in Bushwick. Maloya’s owner is from Réunion in the Indian Ocean, and though your server might be wearing flannel, the colorful travel posters, giant botanical murals of litchis and pineapple, and the zouk playlist keep the vibes summery and tropical. Take a date and sit at the long wooden bar, or grab a couple of cane-backed chairs at a little table with friends. This is a great place to start with a drink and some crispy samoussas, then end up with a couple of entrees, like cubes of swordfish in a tamarind broth, for a meal that tastes like Réunionese home cooking. " - Will Hartman, Willa Moore, Neha Talreja, Sonal Shah, Tiffany Yannetta

"If you don’t have the time or funds to take a trip to an island in the middle of the Indian Ocean this winter, Maloya could get you close enough. The owners are from La Réunion, 400 miles off the coast of Madagascar, and serve things like shrimp poached in vanilla and créme fraîche in the restaurant’s minty green space with a dark wooden bar." - Will Hartman, Willa Moore