(Updated August 2016)
The Noumea Yacht Club is just around the corner from Bay de Citron, which means if you're here on holiday it's most likely a short and very pleasant walk away. There's an army base on top of the hill which is out of bounds to us civvies, with a bunch of droolworthy houses up top that must have glorious 360 degree ocean and city views. The grunts get the best real estate in town.
We thought being a yacht club that Brasserie du CNC would be snootyville. Far from it. The bistro area could be in a coastal family pub in Australia, and the staff are super welcoming. There is a fancy-pants restaurant as well if that's what you're after.
The lunchtime drawcard is the plat du jour\dish of the day which is 1600F, or 1700F with a coffee, a bit over $20AUD, which is a sweet deal in these parts. We're not up for today's dish, we didn't come all the way to Noumea to eat satay chicken'n'rice. But most punters think otherwise.
We go for the regular menu because we're posh bastards.
Nice spot for lunch, eh?
We're writing this post months since we've been here and you expect us to remember what we ate? Gee wiz. Was it the pave du thon juane, vinaigrette sicilian? (2,300F). Well it was a hell of a fish'n'chips anyway.
Salade terr & mer - 2,300F. A surf'n'turf salad. New Caledonia style. Tuna sashimi, prawns, duck and foie gras. Oohh baby, now this we remember, even months later.
Salmon fillet with sauce de crustaces, which we guess means a fishy sauce - 2,300F. A light seemingly simple dish perfectly cooked. Voila. After a few days eating heavy French food this light fare is a godsend. And it leaves plenty of calories for desert...
The waiter talks us into apple tart, it's a popular dessert in Noumea and always good.
And you've gotta have creme brulee, it's different, and excellent, in every restaurant.
Adjoining the brasserie is the fancy pants Restaurant du Commandant de Mersuay which certainly looks worth a stab, it looks purdy and gets good ratings from French speaking folks on TripAdvisor.
Restaurant du Commandant de Mersuay menu. Some dishes are the same price as the brasserie.
[BACK AGAIN AUGUST 2016]
We're back again a year after our first visit, it's a pleasant and relaxed spot and the food can really hit the mark here.
The plat de jour is always a bargain at 1,600 xpf, or 1,700 xpf with coffee. Today it's veal liver which is surprisingly more mmmm than ofal-y, like a rich steak, even offal-agnostic Shawn loves it.
Mahi mahi is off the menu, but the red fish (2,500 xof) is a fine substitute, especially in rich creamy herb butter sauce.
Baked andoilette in mustard sauce, 2,200 XPF. Shawn surprises himself by picking up a taste for tripe sausage, it stinks like poo, literally but once you get the taste it's magical, there's a richness that delivers an unexpected food high.
Creme brulee, good as always.
Passionfruit cream cheesecake, it's super light with a bitey tartness, balanced by a sweet biscuit base. It's very similar to the famed version at Au Petit Cafe.
Brasserie Du CNC is the Cercle Nautique Caledonien\Noumea Yacht Club. Phone 26.09.80. Find it next to a hill and a big bunch of boats 2 rue du Capitaine Desmier, Baie des Citrons. See www.cnc.asso.nc/brasserie-du-cnc,
If you're in the Centreville (city) area and feel like some pubside pub grub try Le Bout du Monde, it's just near the market and unlike the rest of Noumea, it's nearly always open, even on public holidays. Le Bout de Monde has saved our buttocks on several occasions.
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