From kava

to cordon bleu

PRE-DINNER drinks have an entirely different meaning in Vila. Increasingly for the local and expatriate population the drug of preference is not alcohol but kava, that indigenous brew that few drink for its taste. The drinking of kava has been practised by Ni-Vanuatu within the context of the village for centuries.

Nearly killed by the missionaries as ‘the devil’s brew’ it has metamorphasised in the last decade to become a commercial drink consumed in Vila and Luganville in large quantities. Within the context of Ni-Vanuatu society the drinking of kava has changed enormously with commercialisation. Nakamals or kava bars more accurately dot Vila and the growing of kava has become, by Vanuatu standards, big business. (Many Ni- Vanuatu object to the use of the word nakamal to describe urban kava bars because they have nothing in common

with the traditional kava house which is so steeped in Melanesian culture) The kava bars themselves are fascinating. The proliferation of these bars has provided

an important meeting place after work

but they are increasingly divided on the basis of political parties and island of origin. For women the drinking of kava has also changed. There are several of the nakamals where the educated elite meet and where women are perfectly free to drink. In some traditional societies women were prohibited from drinking kava or even being in the presence of men who are drinking kava. To some women drinking kava is a symbol of their liberation from some of the more restric tive strictures of traditional society.

At least three nakamals are worth a visit in Port Vila though there are 130 to choose from in Port Vila alone. The famous Red Light the white man’s nakamal has what is reputedly the

strongest kava in the South Pacific.

There are two others worthy of mention - the Firelight and Fabro. The back drop at Firelight is simply exotic with ducks, pigs and chickens scurrying around the yard. Fabro is a beautiful spot with remarkable sunsets that only

help that warm feeling of well-being

associated with drinking kava.

The most striking feature of a nakamal is just how quiet it is. You can sit in a nakamal of big hulking men and hear very little except occassional spitting and conversation in very low subdued tones.

From Papeete to Port Moresby there are few restaurants where eating is a pleasure most of the Pacific is a :ulinary wasteland occupied by third ate Chinese restaurants. Vila, one can gladly say is a veritable culinary oasis.

Fhe reasons are simple it is one of the ew countries that has not only a wealthy ;xpatriate population but also a boom ng tourist industry that can afford to )atronise restaurants. The real reason for

/ila s excellent culinary pedigree stems

fom the French influence. In the words ►f one of English resident “Vanuatu is he one place in the Pacific where the rench came, left their culture, left their pod and then, thankfully, left.” The rench will tell you that in the other •arts of the Pacific the English and their urrogates left their food and their ulture and left-quickly before anyone ut them on trial for crimes against the

uman palate.

Something else that makes eating in Vanuatu so special is the wonderful combination of fresh seafood and beef.

The tenderness of the natural grass-fed beef is unusual. The pasture in Vanuatu is so fertile, so green and so wet that steer do not need to move to get nutrients and water. This means steer do not develop the tough muscle needed to survive in less pleasant climates. Few droughts mean steer do not suffer weight fluctuations. So even if you are not particularly sure where you are eating in Vanuatu the beef is usually a safe option.

At the top end of the market is the Rendez-vous restaurant. Without doubt the best restaurant in Vila. The food is exquisite. The view of Vila harbor is almost as good but if you are skinned its not for you. Dinner will cost you vatu 2,000 [SUSIB] at a very minimum, if you choose from the special list a normal al a carte dinner for two without alcohol will cost around US$BO. I never regret ted a meal or a penny spent there. The hostess, Hanna Biber is one of the most charming restauranteurs in the South Pacific.

Normally dinner at five star hotels simply leaves one cold not so at Port Vila’s Le Lagon where dinner at the Lafete Restaurant is truly a taste experi ence. It is also one of the few restaurants in Vila with a reasonable wine list where the options are not between the standard Australian house wine “Chateau Pissoire-1992” that immediately lacer

ates the palate or a French table wine that leaves you wondering whether you should have taken a bank loan before dinner. After dinner at Lafete restaurant one can go next door to the Tam Tam which since the demise of the Radisson has become the only up-market disco in Vila.

At the middle level are two wonderful restaurants. The best and probably most famous is the Rossi which sits on the waterfront and is a popular luncheon place. The food at the Rossi is good and still well within the French tradition though the menu has over the years become more eclectic reflecting whatever the middle of the market will bear.

Dinner without wine will run you around US$2O though some of the main courses are even more reasonable. While the Rossi restaurant is alive and well regret tably the Rossi hotel has vanished and has been replaced by a shopping plaza.

The other place to eat is the Houstalet restaurant run by Claremont Martinez.

A classic French restauranteur who will always greet you in French. The Houstalet is in many ways just barely in the middle of the market. The menu is essentially pizza but if you turn it over you will be surprised to find a quite tolerably good menu of quality French food, on par with any decent French bistro. The Houstalet food is good but ask what is recommended from the menu because there are a number of oossibilities that vary from day to day.

Try the flying fox if you want something quite special.

After several years of working in English pubs I managed to develop a visceral antipathy for what the English so boldly call their cuisine. The first time I went to Vila Chaumiere I was dragged

kicking and screaming by English

friends. It is nice to be wrong. Vila Chaumiere is unashamedly a British Pub but it has the distinction of having some of the best food that I have had in Vila - try the poulet fish and is located on the lagoon with a view that is the most romantic in the South Seas.

The French are fond of saying that it is impossible to get a good meal in England after breakfast. One of the fine points about the Vila Chaumiere is the English brunch available on Sunday morning with some of the best eggs benedict in the South Pacific.

The opinions for where to eat in Vila are not endless but the variety will certainly justify a week in Vila. The nice thing about Vila is that you can go out into the villages and outer islands and can be sure there is something to look forward to when you return. From good Chinese and Vietnamese to at lest four French restaurants it is one of the few places in the Pacific where dining is a

pleasure. □