Noumea’s BEST
A fine reason for visiting Noumea, the capital of French territory New Caledonia, is its variety of Gallic culinary delights, writes
The restaurant
If you dine at only one restaurant ensure that it is Marmite et Tire-Bouchon. At this relaxed, modern French bistro, you’ll enjoy dishes so imaginatively conceived and beautifully presented that you won’t even need to shut your eyes to pretend you’re somewhere in mainland France.
See: marmiteettirebouchon.nc
The beach club
Something of a Noumea institution, MV Lounge is set in a leafy and sandy nook right at the northern crest of Baie des Citrons.
A beach club cum outdoor bar, there are tables and chairs spread out above and along the adjacent golden sands. Suffice to say there’s no better locale to enjoy sundowners over the Pacific than right here. See: newcaledonia.travel
The markets
Noumea’s Port Moselle Markets are well worth an early morning visit for the chance to mingle with the purveyors of the fresh subtropical produce on display, not to mention the cosmopolitan customers.
Pull up a stool at the unpretentious central cafe, La Buvette du Marche, and order a cafe and croque madame and absorb the Franco-Pacific atmosphere.
The lunch spot
Hidden away on a quiet corner in Noumea’s so-called Latin Quarter, not far from the Port Moselle Markets, is La Guinguette. Named after the term for a popular French suburban-style tavern, this cool brunch and lunch spot is easy to miss but unmissable.
Choose from a blackboard lunch menu of Mediterraneaninfluenced dishes
(the youngish owners hail from Marseille), including locally caught seafood such as tuna steaks, while for brunch it’s all granola, pancakes and good espresso.
See: facebook.com/ bistrotlaguinguette
The lookout
Not only are the 360-degree views of Noumea and the Pacific superb, especially at dusk, from the 132-metre Ouen Toro Hill, just up from Le Meridien Noumea Resort & Spa, but there’s also an Australian historical connection. In 1941, the Australian Army installed a pair of 1.55-metrelong cannons designed to repel a Japanese invasion, which, unlike other islands in the Pacific, never eventuated.
The architectural marvel
Renzo Piano’s masterly Tjibaou Cultural Centre, named in honour of the indigenous Kanak independence leader, Jean-Marie Tjibaou, is a mustvisit.
Built within a gorgeous bayside and forested setting, only a short drive from the centre of town, the centre consists mostly of 10 towering ribbed steel and timber structures inspired by traditional Kanak huts.
See: centretjibaou.nc
The cafe
Any coffee connoisseur who has been to Paris is aware that this is not one of the strengths of the French, something also generally evident in farflung Noumea. But this rule absolutely does not apply at Lemon Bay Cafe, named after its enviable Baie des Citrons beachside location.
It feels so authentically antipodean, in the best possible way, that it’s no surprise to discover that it’s the product of a couple, he from Australia and she from New Caledonia.
See: facebook.com/lemonbaycafe
The island day-hop
There are an estimated 8.7 million sea kraits in the world and most of these landgoing marine snakes seem to view Amedee Island, Noumea’s popular paradisiacal day-trip destination, as home.
But fear not (well, maybe a little) because, while venomous, bites from these ubiquitous fetchingly banded creatures are exceedingly rare.
Amedee’s crowning man-made glory is its nearly 60m, Insta-friendly white lighthouse, erected in 1865 and France’s first such structure to be built from metal.
See: amedeeisland.com
The accommodation
New Caledonia, with an economy enriched by untold nickel reserves, can seem ambivalent about tourism – something reflected in the nature of places to stay. However, you’ll be perfectly comfortable and well-located at Noumea’s two best resorts, Le Meridien Resort & Spa and Chateau Royal Beach Resort & Spa.
See: marriott.com; hotelchateauroyal.nc
The sweets
One final, deliciously persuasive reason for a visit to Noumea is the fact that it boasts some of the best patisseries and chocolatiers this side of the Arc de Triomphe.
The locals are absolutely devoted to Au Peche Mignon on Rue Jules Garnier for cakes, while for handmade soft and hard centres everyone swears by Chocolats Morand in the Latin Quarter with its astounding range.