Noumea: Foodie delight
Let the locals tempt you - you’ll dine out on the foodie experiences for ever more, writes Colleen Hawkes.
Travelling to Noume´a with a small group of passionate foodie writers is an experience in itself. There’s the obligatory photo shots of every course at every meal, the serious taste debates, and then there’s the wish list. Bat stew anyone?
Turns out bat stew – civet de rousette – is well and truly off the menu these days. It’s illegal to sell bats in New Caledonia and the only time they may be captured and eaten is during April, when they are not nursing their young.
But if you happen to visit a Kanak village during this time, you may find the bats cooked with their fur on. Possibly an acquired texture.
We don’t find any giant snails from the Ile des Pins (Isle of Pines) either. But you can be sure to taste these if you visit the island. And, in true French style, we did find imported escargots on the menu in Noume´a restaurants.
What we do find is a real touch of Paris behind the doors of several patisseries, chocolatiers and e´picieries. The French have brought their mouthwatering traditions to this island paradise, from the colourful macarons, madeleines, tarts and pastries at La Vielle France to exquisite chocolates at Chez Tonton Jules, and imported truffle oils and tapenades at Chez Alexandre. Everything is, of course, beautifully displayed, and not one of us leaves without making a purchase. But be warned, New Caledonia is not cheap.
The French do crepes, too, and a meal at Creˆperie Le Rocher was another favourite. This hilltop open-air restaurant has an extensive crepe menu, and the added bonus of the view over the Baie des Citrons (there is always a bay view in Noume´a).
Shop for a picnic
But you don’t necessarily have to dine a` la carte. Crepes are flipped while you watch at the Sunday morning market at Port Mozelle in town. The market, under five hexagonal pavilions, is a delight. We find fruits, vegetables and flowers, coconut milk straight from the coconut, jewellery and clothing. And a local girls’ choir fundraising outdoors is truly joyous.
As we found, the market is the ideal place to source a picnic lunch, which we have at Duck Island, just offshore from our hotel, Le Me´ridien Noume´a, and the popular Anse Vata beach. French baguettes, of course, delicious tomatoes, pate´, foies gras and a special find – a jar of achard, a perfect pickled vegetable mix of shallots, garlic, ginger, turmeric, mustard seeds, chillies, vinegar and oil.
Throw in French wine, watermelon, a fossilised coral beach, red sun umbrellas and snorkelling in the crystal clear water, and it’s a picnic in heaven.
Cooking lesson
There’s no better way to get an insight into French cuisine than to have a cooking lesson. Our lesson is with chef Christophe Lange at Les 3 Chefs at Le Stanley Hotel at the water’s edge in Ouemo. The foodies crack dozens of eggs to prepare a divine cre`me brulee, and Lange dishes up blue prawns – a local delicacy – sauteed in rum. It’s all washed down with a local beer.
Dining here is a cool experience, as
the hotel is perched high above the water overlooking Saint Marie Bay, and there’s a distinct feeling of being on a ship. So, too, is an evening at Le Roof, a short walk from Le Meridien around to Anse Vata beach. Le Roof sits at the end of a jetty, high above the water. At night, bright lights shine down into the turquoise sea below, illuminating bright white seagulls that duck and dive at the fish below.
Just as exciting as the seafood dishes, which include the small, yet tasty local oysters, is the huge square hole in the centre of the restaurant that opens up to the sea below. Enormous fish, including pilot fish that had grown to several metres long, swim in the pooled light. High dorsal fins and long sweeping tails? Could have sworn they were sharks. We’re told there’s a friendly dolphin who likes to make an appearance, too.
Delicious contrasts
L’Hippocampe, at Le Me´ridien Noume´a, is the fine dining highlight of our stay. Spoiled for choice, delicate dishes are borne to our table on different plates that show the food at its best. Mahi-mahi, which appears on many restaurant menus in Noume´a, is the fish of choice, and here it is served as a ce´rviche´ starter with a local poingo banana mouselline and coconut emulsion. Melt in the mouth.
The other hit of the evening is the local venison, rolled and stuffed with giblets and cognac sauce. Another local delicacy.
And then, for a total contrast, we head off one day for the Great South coast, to have a traditional Kanak bougna lunch at Goro village. Guide Axelle Battie of Toutazimut drives us over the red, mineral-rich mountains, so similar to Australia we are not surprised to learn New Caledonia split off from that great continent many millions of years ago.
Bougna is traditionally steamed in the ground, not dissimilar to the way a Ma¯ori hangi is cooked. Today, it is still cooked slowly, wrapped in banana leaves, but unless there is a ceremonial feast, it is likely to be cooked in an oven. Yams, taro, sweet potato, delicious sweet bananas, dessicated coconut and coconut cream are all mixed together with the meat – in our case, tiny quail. The result is divine.
Simply prepared with local ingredients, it is one of the best meals we have on the island. And it is followed with local fruits, many that were new to us. (Is it a pear; is it an apple?)
Intriguingly, the locals in Noume´a have their own versions of My Food Bag. The fresh meals are called ‘‘gamelles’’, and they are delivered to your doorstep and it’s cheaper than buying your own produce. What’s not to love?
Food aside, there are three other key highlights of this trip.
❚ The Tjibaou Cultural Center, named after assassinated Kanak political leader, Jean-Marie Tjibaou. It’s thrilling to stand inside a traditional pointy Kanak hut, which is cool even on the hottest day. But it is equally thrilling to walk, for the first time, inside a building designed by architectural maestro Renzo Piano. Piano’s ephemeral, soaring shells, which can be seen from right across the bay, make this a powerful building that references traditional Kanak chiefs’ huts while also speaking of future growth and development.
❚ The brilliant red flame tree. The flame tree grows wild in Noumea, and is mostly left to do it’s thing, providing shade and beauty in equal abundance.
❚ Swimming, sand and sunsets at Le Me´ridien Noume´a Resort & Spa. A dip in the ocean or the pool, and a cocktail at the beachside pool bar watching the sun set over the water is the stuff of dreams.
The writer was a guest of NouvelleCale´doni, Aircalin and Le Me´ridien Noume´a Resort & Spa.
❚