Eating out with littlies

Last night we ate out. We seem to eat out reasonably frequently here. Max is a superstar in restaurants (good behaviour in exchange for hot chips) and it's generally really fun taking them out. The trickiest thing is finding restaurants that open early enough for our kids, who are usually in bed at around 7pm. Most places don't open until 7pm and often the service is pretty slow meaning we're not out of the restaurant until 8.30pm - which spell disaster for the kids.

So here's a list of the places we've found so far that open early and don't get all snippy when you walk in with a three year old and a baby in a mountain buggy!

La Case - Baie d'Orphelinat (ph 28 24 24)
This place starts serving food at 6pm. They just have a basic menu that early but it includes pizzas that have a yummy thin base and good salads. It's generally pretty quiet then and I love sitting outside with a great view over the Bay.

Fun Beach - Anse Vata beach (ph 26 31 32)
Open from 6.30pm. We ate here last night and were really impressed by the service which is often less than friendly in Noumea. They even carried the buggy down the stairs and into a prime spot overlooking the water. The food came out quickly and was yummy - not super-flash but very tasty and we had a great family meal.

Creperie Le Rocher - Behind the Surf Hotel at Anse Vata Beach (ph 25 3575)
I love sitting up here and looking down over the Baie des Citrons. I really think it has one of the nicest outlooks in Noumea. It's meant to be open all day from Tuesday - Sunday from midday to 10pm but ring and check. I've called and been told a few times that dinner doesn't start until 7pm. The crepes are delicious and it's so nice to wash everything down with a yummy glass of cider. There's space outside for the kids to run around too.

Le Bout du Monde - Baie de Moselle, near the Market (27 77 28)
Classic French-style Brasserie. The proper menu doesn't start until 7pm but they have a good all day snack menu that changes regularly but often has tartines, salads and you can usually order something simple for the kids. The highlight for Max is the boat on the grass in front of the Terrace. He can play on that for ages while we wait for food - which can take a while.

Along Beach - Vietnamese at Anse Vata (ph 28 28 84)
Delicious Vietnamese that's open from about 6pm. It's in the little shopping complex at the far end of the beach so kids can run around safely on the grass in front of the restaurant. It's always busy here, but you can always get takeaways and go and sit at a table on the beach if it's full.

Wow - that's quite a list! There are also some good Italian places and the burgers at Le Fare at Anse Vata beach are good value and substantial. Breakfast is good here too - ahhh breakfast! I think that will have to be covered in another blog!

Bon Appetit.

Campin' on Ilot Tenia

Last year we went to Ilot Tenia and I swore we'd be back. Sure enough, a year later we did go back and it was great.

With, not just one but now two, kids in tow we set off for two nights of delicious isolation on our deserted paradise. Camping on Tenia was carefully described to us as a 'real caledonian camping experience'. This means there are no shelters, no ready-made bbqs, no electricity and no toilets. It's you, the island and the mountain of stuff you take over on the boat with you!

This was our first camping trip with two kids and a new tent but we were looked after somewhat by our experienced happy camper friends who'd organised the trip. Three families with young kids was great as the kids did entertain each other (although Max needs to learn that playing does not involve destroying every sandcastle made) and had fun together.

We went over with Bout d'Brousse. The company had changed hands since last year but the guy who's bought it was a dude and they still have the fast yellow zodiacs. He was very friendly (and speaks good english) and didn't bat an eyelid at us bringing a 7 month old baby with us. She ate alot of sand. He dropped us off and checked we were good for water at the end of day one and - as expected - it was pretty exciting to be left on the island at the end of the day. Just us, some decent wine and a yummy dinner to cook.

We had a great time. Camping with two littlies is not at all relaxing, but the spectacular surroundings make it all worthwhile. It did make me laugh that this beautiful picture of Polly in pink was taken at 5am. She had been very successful at keeping everyone awake for a good part of the night...hmmmm.

If you ever camp on Tenia remember to bring a shovel and brush - within 10 minutes of the tent going up it was filled with sand. Funny for a little while but the joke starts to lose its sparkle when you're trying to sleep with sand up your bum, in your eyes, under your knees and in your hair!

Hotel Banu in La Foa

This place is just a gem - yummy food, eccentric owners and decoration that was started in the 60s and just added to since then.  The Hotel Banu has a funny mixture of bungalows and almost dorm-style accommodation and it even has a pool out the back.  What I like best about it, is that it's right on the main street and as soon as you walk in, you feel as if you are in the heart of La Foa.  The coppers come in for their lunch, the locals, the tourists - everyone.  

The front bar is covered in hats - we added a NZ Defence force one in to the mix. You could spend an hour in there checking out where all these hats have come from.  Walk through to the (airconditioned!) restaurant and you come into a mix of 60s/70s/80s kitch that is a little overwhelming and very entertaining.  Go out the back and there's a little garden (complete with garden gnomes) and a row of toilets that Max thought was hilarious...

As already mentioned - the food is delicious.  And you can stop by for a plate of hot chips for the kids or a delicious slow-cooked stew that will fill you up for the rest of the day.  We opted for a classic old roast chicken - copious and yummy.

I think you could go up to many of the people having their lunch in the Banu and have a fascinating chat about the history of New Caledonia, 'Les Evenements' during the 80s and all of the many things that have spiced up this place's history.  Everyone here greets you with a smile and I reckon that each wrinkle on their faces comes with a tale.  

If you're passing by La Foa, stop at the Banu - even if it's just for a coffee - it's totally worth it. 

A Half Birthday

Can you imagine being a half? Polly is!  

And when you're not even one you can get away with Bunny ears...

Green - I got tagged!

So, a few weeks ago Marie hit me with a green tag. I've been a bit slow on the uptake but here we go. In this game you need to:
1. Say who tagged you and link to their blog;
2. Post 7 pictures of the colour you've been tagged and say why you've chosen these pics;
3. Tag 7 other people and give them a colour (I'm only going to tag one person...)
We have a picture of Max in his green hoody. It's his favourite - warm, funky and very cool.
Flax in Charlie's garden in Gizzy. Only 7 years ago this whole area was paddocks with sheep grazing on it. Now it's all slowly being replanted with natives. Each time we go back I'm struck by how fast it all grows and how beautiful it is. It's what NZ should look like.

A Tony Sly jug. He makes delicious pottery in Raglan. It's worth going to Raglan for the surf, scenery and his seconds shop ;)

The beautiful pacific fabrics in New Caledonia. I loved this more modern print.

The grass that needs to be cut. We'll do it this weekend with our new whizz-bang lawnmower that took a week to assemble...

A local avocado - they're huge and sometimes a little watery, sometimes delicious. It's a bit like playing avocado lottery.

Finally, the sea in Poe. It's green, turquoise, white, blue and everything in between. Gorgeous.

What a beautiful colour green is!

Now - I'll only Tag Angelique. She shall have red!

Happy birthday Max

We've been in New Zealand hence the lack of blogs of late. The return home has been a blur of 'La Rentree' (the big french term for the return to school after the holidays), broken down car, some magnificent and some magnificently crappy weather and a birthday. I reckon the birthday was the best.

So - Max is a little concerned about school and puts on a bit of a performance every day but here's one pic of him sneaking his nounours into his bag (still his well loved cow) before we leave. I've also found him sneaking other little bits and pieces into his bag like a dummy....

Operation birthday was fantastic. Lots of kids running around our place like crazy nutters, a howling wind to rock all the pictures from the walls and a great cake. I also enjoyed partaking in the french habit of having a little champagne to celebrate - no excuse necessary for me to be popping the top off a bottle of pop!

Now we've got some wet and windy weather as Cyclone Tomas and Ului whip up the Pacific. Hopefully Ului will do what the Americans are predicting and heads off towards Australia. The Frenchies are a little less optimistic and have it heading down our way. It's a long way from us at the moment so we will see towards the weekend. My fingers are firmly crossed for it to head away - we have a weekend away planned.

Scrumptuous Sarramea

I love Farino and Sarramea. Whenever we want to have a weekend away I start lobbying to go there. I know it's a bit boring to go back to the same place all the time, but each time I arrive I take a big breath in, and out, and feel the good karma of the place wrap me up nice and warm.

They are two little settlements snuggled into the hillside about 1.5 hours drive from Noumea. From Farino you can look down the hill and out to the sea. Sarramea is a little bit deeper into the hills and slightly more enclosed. Sarramea is overlooked by the impressive Plateau de Dogny, a 5 hour walk that is on our list of must dos (without the kids) before we leave.

Normally a trip to Farino includes a lunch at Mamie Foglianis for a no holds barred feast of oysters, game and taro. It's set beside a river and is chilled out, good value and delicious.

Our Christmas trip was a bit of a blow-out. We stayed at the very nice (almost swanky) Hotel Evasion. Our Bungalow fitted the whole family and was very comfy. Max loved having his own big-boy bed and being able to watch TV in bed. We regailed ourselves with two delicious meals - one in the restaurant en famille; one more romantic one on the balcony of the bungalow. The food was absolutely delicious. The hotel also has very pretty pool beside the restaurant and a spa pool which we enjoyed and I imagine would be bliss in winter having finished the Plateau de Dogny Walk.

On the way home we stopped and picked up some delicious pineapples. I chuckled at the roadside stall, unmanned, with tin that said - please put your coins in the tin - thanks. Go the faith in people being honest. I guess that's just part of the Sarramea vibe.