Pacific Insider
There's no time like 'island time'…

At Nambanga Restaurant in Port Vila this week and next… The Hospitality Tourism and Leisure Training Centre serves up amazing value for superb cuisine.  Where in Australia could you get a gourmet three course French meal for under $20?!

Dinner Tuesday 21st, 28th May 2013, Wednesday 22nd, 29th May 2013:

Lunch Thursday 23rd, 30th May 2013:

Dinner Menu

Entrées : (500vt)

Potage base de blancs de poireaux et pommes de terre garni de julienne de carottes et de poireaux.

(Cream of leek and potato soup garnished with a julienne of carrots and leek)

Omelette aux fines herbes accompagnée d’une petite salade.

(Mixed herbs omelet served on a bed of market green salad.)

Main courses: (800vt)

Filet de vivaneau grillé accompagné de nouilles faites maison et une sauce balsamique.

(Char grilled filet of poulet fish served with homemade pasta and its balsamic sauce.)

Osso Bucco aux legumes Morceaux de jarret de boeuf braisés accompagnés de pommes de terre, haricot vert et carottes.

(Braised veal shanks served with potato, green bean and carrots.)

Desserts: (500vt)

Entremets à base d’un appareil à soufflé parfumé au Grand Marnier.

(Grand Marnier soufflé with ice cream.)

Gateau roulé à la confiture et Chantilly.

(Swiss roll with jam and Chantilly cream.)

Call 26830 for bookings or email : nambanga.restaurant@gmail.com

May 23 is World Turtle Day.

World Turtle Day was started to increase respect and knowledge for the world’s oldest creatures. These gentle animals have been around for about 200 million years, yet they are rapidly disappearing as a result of exotic food industry, habitat destruction and cruel pet trade.

The Insider has a tagged and released turtle hopefully surviving, diving and thriving somewhere in the Pacific. He was released from Moso Island Turtle Sanctuary in Vanuatu and has the name ‘kava’… because both kava and turtles come in shells.

This video was taken at the Cod Hole on the Ribbon Reefs on the Great Barrier Reef.  This world famous dive site is well known for its Giant Cod but the abundance of fish and coral are amazing as are the resident turtles – there’s a lovely up close encounter in this 90 second clip.

Diving the Cod Hole January 2012 from Cairns Dive Adventures on Vimeo.

The bure is a Fijian name for the traditional bungalow style thatched hut or cottage homes of the Pacific Islands, or any approximation of this for use in tourism. Traditional bures contain no amenities, plumbing and usually no furniture or power. Tourism bures can range from basic European or North American cottage standard to luxurious in the extreme. Certain traditions must be upheld when visiting a traditional Fijian bure – shoes must be left outside and it’s respectful to stoop slightly as you walk over the mats laid out inside. Asking for a chair will be a sure indication to the inhabitants that you are an ignorant tourist.

An unusual piece of Melanasian culture is the Cargo Cult. Arising from the locals contact with the colonial visitors and their naive belief that the ‘cargo’ carried by these men would be bestowed upon them on their eventual return, bringing them wealth and prosperity. One such cult is the John Frum Cult practiced on the island of Tanna in Vanuatu.

The cult believes in the mythical messianic figure of John Frum who promised them through visions a new age free from the white colonialists and missionaries, and a return to traditional custom. The practitioners believe that John Frum lives in volcano and they’ve erected scarlet crosses, wooden gates and bamboo chapels in his honour. They’ve even built a wooden ’cargo’ carrying plane as an effigy. In 1957, a leader of the movement Nakomaha created the ’Tanna Army” a non-violent, ritualistic organisation which organised military style parades with their faces painted in ritual colours. This ritual is still practiced annually on February 15. This may all seem a little naive through our oh so sophisticated western eyes but if you were to question a follower you’d receive the reasonable response ”you’ve been waiting 2,000 years for your Jesus to return, we’ve only been waiting 60!”

Vanuatu Amateur Theatrical Society (VATS) is no more. Having been closely involved with a couple of productions and been in the audience for many fine plays, pantos and musicals it is sad that it couldn’t continue… but the curtain fell with a silver lining…

As per VATS’ Constitution the remaining funds after the sale of assets were given to registered charities that had been voted for by the members present at that meeting. The recipients were: Vanuatu Medical Laboratory, ProMedical, Vanuatu Disabled Society and SAM’s Animal Welfare Association.

The Aqua Cafe is the restaurant at Muri Beach Resort on Rarotonga in the Cook Islands. It has a well-priced brunch menu – e.g. a sweet chilli chicken wrap costs $9 and the traditional Ika Mata (local raw fish marinated in lemon juice and served with diced vegetables and coconut cream) costs $14.50. The Ika Mata also appears on the dinner menu, as an entree. For a dinner main, perhaps the Rib Eye Steak (with Bearnaise butter sauce and served on kumara rosti with steamed green beans) or the Twice Cooked Orange Spiced Pork Belly (sliced and braised in orange juice, soy, honey & spices, oven roasted till soft and succulent, served with bok choy and fragrant rice) – both $29.50. Or for $69, there is the seafood platter for two.

The Pacific Insider blog will be returning shortly!  For those who create blogs, gosh WordPress technology has come a long way recently in being both super-user-friendly and having the ability to look like a static website.  Here are a few recent sites built in WordPress:

• Resort Weddings
• Tropical Honeymoons
• South Pacific Weddings
• Honeymoon Pacific
• Weddings Vanuatu
• Go Vanuatu
• Cruise Vanuatu
• Vanuatu A to Z
• Fiji A to Z
• Samoa A to Z
• Cook Islands A to Z
• Small Guide Travel
• Cane & Able Travel
• Cairns Disabled Travel

If  you are heading over to Port Villa, Vanuatu any time soon, make sure you visit Lotus Day Spa. Just a  5 minute walk up the hill from down-town Port Villa, you will be transported into another world! Soothe the mind, body and spirit with a heavenly massage.

• Designer “Watt” and Preloved Clothing at Lotus, come check it out as there are new  items on the rack every week and who doesn’t like getting a bargain?
• Handmade Aromatherapy Candles, just 2800vt a great present or fragrance for your home.
• Inspirational posters for just 800vt.
• A Lotus Gift Voucher is the ideal present for any occasion.

It’s all happening at Lotus!

NAMBANGA RESTAURANT

Thursday 26^th July 2012: Dinner

Entrée (500 vatu)

 Salade de poulet grillé

Poulet grillé servi avec sa salade et une vinaigrette au citron et miel

Char-grilled chicken salad with honey-lemon dressing

 Crêpes aux fruits de mer

Crêpes fourrées de fruits de mer et nappées d’une sauce veloutée

Seafood crêpes with a sauce veloutée

Main Course (800 vatu)

Escalope de veau pannée

Escalope de veau pannée à l’anglaise accompagnée des pommes sautées à crues.

Shallow-fried veal collops coated “à l’anglaise” and served with shallow fried potatoes

 Poulet Basquaise

Poulet cuit à la Basquaise accompagné de nouille au beurre

Chicken casserole garnished with fondue of capsicum, tomato, onion and garlic, and served with buttered pasta

 Dessert (500 vatu)

 Mille-feuille à la banane

Entremets à base de pate feuilletée croustillante, fourrée à la banane et une crème pâtissière.

Puff pastry filled with fresh banana and cream.

 Moka

A light sponge cake creamed with coffee flavoured butter cream

Bon Appetit!

It seems that there is always plenty to do at Breakas Beach Resort, Efate, Vanuatu.

How’s this for a line up: Mon: Polynesian Night – Tues: Local Recipes Cooking Class – Wed: Melanesian Night – Thurs: Live Entertainment by Local Artists Emily & Berry– Fri: more local entertainment by local artist, Yannnick – Sat: Seafood Buffet – Sun: Yannick is back

And if you have ever been to Breakas you will know why what’s happening at the restaurant and bar is just the beginning. There is a certain joie de vivre at Breakas. The atmosphere is relaxed and guests just sort of cruise by in a state of …what…romance? …Euphoria?  As Breakas put so eloquently themselves: Breakas Beach Resort has captured the vintage glamour of days gone past….where time stood still. …friends got a chance to talk …. lolling on the beach was expected …..and dining in a shamelessly romantic setting was fashionable.

If you are looking at booking a stay at Breakas, e-mail the friendly team at Small Guides and they will put you on theright track: info@smallguide.com.au