Roux closes Le Gavroche outpost in Mauritius

Chef Michel Roux Jnr, of London's Le Gavroche, has closed his Mauritius restaurant after resort owners failed to pay the agreed fees.

Le Gavroche des Tropiques had been open only 10 months at the La Voile d'Or hotel in Bel Ombres, Mauritius, when Roux felt obliged to pull out.

The hotel's owner, Salt Lake Resorts, has withheld payment of fees for 10 months, according to Roux.

No figure was revealed but a spokesman for Roux said that the amount owed would have been "significant".

Roux said: "We have been extremely patient with the resort owners, but their continuing failure to pay our fees and their non-adherence to the terms of the contract left us no alternative."

Roux added that it was a shame, because the restaurant had been successful and was "the best on the island".

The restaurant was the company's first venture overseas. The team are now returning to London.