New Caledonia

To be honest, New Caledonia probably isn't on the top of everyone's travel bucket list.  I have to admit, before this trip, I didn't know a whole lot about it either!

But when you live in Australia, being far apart from the rest of the world but need some escapes to an island every now and then.  Of course, there are plenty of options around the Pacific, and we had already done Fiji before.  So this time, we thought, why not try something different.

And that's how we ended up choosing New Caledonia.

So, where exactly is New Caledonia?

New Caledonia is a group of islands in the South Pacific, located east of Australia.  The main island is called Grande Terre, where you'll find the capital city, Noumea.

One interesting thing about New Caledonia is that it is French territory.  It's not an independent country like Fiji.  It has a unique political status as a French overseas territory, so you'll notice plenty of French influence - from the language and food to the culture.

And yes, French is widely spoken, so don't be surprised if your holiday suddenly feels a little bit like French in the middle of the Pacific!

I was impressed by how easy it is to get there from Australia.  We flew with Qantas, and the flight was direct and took less than three hours.  That's pretty amazing when you think about it.  You can leave Australia in the morning and be sitting by a beautiful tropical beach not long afterwards.

No super long-haul flight, no exhausting travel day.  Just a relatively quick trip to an island paradise.

The first thing that really amazed me was we can start to see lagoons from the plane when we about to land.  Then their beaches.  The water was tranquil, and the waves were so calm.  It gave the whole place a very peaceful and relaxing feeling.

The weather was another highlight.  It was sunny and warm, but there was a lovely cooler breeze, which made being outside much more comfortable.  You get that tropical holiday feeling without feeling like you're melting the whole time.

Noumea itself also felt quite relaxed.  It wasn't overly crowded or packed with tourists when we were there, and the people we met were friendly.  There was something really nice about walking around without feeling like you were constantly surrounded by huge crowds.

If I had one thing to mention, it would be the price.  I found New Caledonia a little bit expensive compared with some other Pacific island destinations.  So if you're travelling on a budget, it's definitely something to keep in mind.

But at the same time, this trip wasn't really about ticking off a long list of attractions.  It was about slowing down, enjoying the beach, eating good food and simply relaxing.  And for that, New Caledonia was exactly what we needed.

Sometimes you don't need a packed itinerary.  Sometimes you just need beautiful water, sunshine, a gentle breeze and somewhere peaceful to switch off.  This trip definitely gave us that feeling.

I'll be sharing more about what we ate, the activities we did, and the hotel we stayed at in my next posts, so stay tuned and keep reading.  Octie Appetie everyone....

Stay tuned for the next blog still in Noumea:

Zaap by Chang Thai Lao Restaurant, Cabramatta

I've been wanting to try Zaap Lao Thai restaurant in Cabramatta for the longest time.  Every time we walked past, their menu board would catch our attention.  It is so tempting, and honestly, pretty hard to resist!  But somehow, every single time, we'd already eaten somewhere else and would tell ourselves, "Next time!"

Well... "next time" finally happened.

I think one reason we kept missing it is that the restaurant is slightly tucked away inside an alley on the second floor.  The sign is clearly visible from the main road, but the actual restaurant is a little hidden, so it's easy to walk past without realising there's spacious restaurant upstairs.

Once we finally made our way in, we were actually surprised by how spacious the place was.  And of course, seeing the menu in person made choosing what to eat even harder because there were so many things we wanted to try!

After much discussion (and probably too much menu staring), we settled on our top four.

First up was the deep-fried tofu and taro, served with a sweet and salty dipping sauce and crushed peanuts.  These were SO good.  They were fried to that perfect golden colour - crispy on the outside while still deliciously soft inside.  The dipping sauce with the crushed peanuts was the perfect little extra touch.

Then came the Luang Prabang-style papaya salad platter, which was basically a feast on its own.  It came with fried chicken wings, moo yor (Northeastern Thai pork sausage), pork crackling and fresh rice noodle alongside the papaya salad.

The papaya salad was spot on for us.  It had a good level of heat without completely overpowering everything else and the sourness was nicely balanced.  Combined with the crispy pork crackling and all the other sides, there was so much going on in one plate.

We also ordered the grilled chicken, which was charred beautifully on the outside, full of flavour and still juicy inside.  Definitely one of those dishes where you just keep reaching for another piece.

And lastly, we had the Thai-style grilled beef steak.  Honestly, this one surprised us in the best way.  The beef was surprisingly tender and really tasty and those roasted garlic on the side!  That made me very happy.

Overall, we had such a great meal at Zaap Lao Thai Restaurant.  It was one of the places we kept saying we'd try "next time" - and now I'm wondering why we waited so long.  There are still so many things on the menu we didn't get to try, so we'll definitely be back to work our way through more of it.

Zaap by Chang Thai Lao Restaurant

Shop 6, Level 1, 50 Park Rd, Cabramatta

Ph: +61 2 8786 2829

Open: Daily from 11am - 9pm

Cafe Nho in Cabramatta

Tucked away in a little alley in Cabramatta, Cafe Nho is one of those places you might easily walk past if you don't know it's there.  But once you find it, you'll understand why people keep coming back.

This little Vietnamese cafe serves up drinks, ice creams and traditional Vietnamese desserts.  And honestly, it never seems to stop.  Customers are constantly coming and going, some grabbing takeaway, others trying to find a spot to sit in and enjoy their treats.  It can be pretty hard to get a seat sometimes, which probably says a lot about how popular this place is!

I have two favourites on the menu: the avocado and black sesame smoothie and their caramel flan.

I've always had a soft spot for avocado drinks, but blending avocado with black sesame takes it to another level.  It's creamy, rich and has that lovely nutty flavour from the black sesame.  It's definitely not your everyday smoothie, and that's exactly what makes it so good.  Very clever menu.

Then there's the flan.  The texture isn't quite as smooth and silky as some flans I've had, but the flavour combination makes up for it.  Served cold with ice and ruby gems, there's a slight bitterness that cuts through the sweetness beautifully.  It's such a refreshing dessert, especially on a warm day.

Cafe Nho is definitely worth a visit if you're in Cabramatta area.  If you love Vietnamese desserts and drinks, give this little hidden gem a try.

Cafe Nho

13 & 15 Belvedere Arcade, Cabramatta

Ph: 0434 273 323

Urban Jungle in Rhodes

I always love trying local cafes, especially when they make their food in-house.  There's something exciting about ordering a dish you haven't seen everywhere else.  But I have to admit, sometimes I get a little sceptical because some places put so much effort into making their dishes look pretty, but taste doesn't really live up to the presentation.

Thankfully, that wasn't the case at Urban Jungle in Rhodes.  Their food not only looks pretty, but it actually tastes good too.  The only downside is definitely on the pricier side, with most main dishes sitting around $25-$35.

Truffle fries

My absolute favourite is their truffle fries.  We order them pretty much every time we go.  They're crispy, packed with truffle flavour and honestly just hard to resist.  At $19, they're not exactly cheap for fries, but they're one of those things I keep coming back for.

Urban benny

We also tried their Urban Benny, their version of egg benedict, which comes with sourdough toast, poached eggs, herbed yuzu hollandaise, tempura field mushrooms, hash brown and sauteed spinach.  It was nice overall, especially with the yuzu hollandaise and the tempura mushrooms were very crispy, but I felt the $27.50 price tag was a bit much.  There were only three pieces of tempura mushrooms, so for that price, I expected a little more.

 

This was the first time we tried the fried chicken waffle, and the portion was pretty generous.  Out of all main dishes, this was probably my favourite.  The combination of crispy and juicy chicken and waffle and the creaminess from runny egg yolk just worked really well.  And it was easily the tastiest dish for me.

Udon carbonara

The Udon Carbonara was another standout.  It was super creamy and tasty, topped with crispy bacon, furikake and a little touch of chili oil, then finished with an onsen egg and Parmesan cheese. At $34, again it's definitely not cheap, but the flavour was there. The chili oil added just enough kick to balance out the creaminess.

Overall, I'd say Urban Jungle is one of those cafes where the food actually lives up to the Instagram-worthy presentation.  Everything looks beautiful, but more importantly, the flavours are there too.

Urban Jungle Rhodes

In Rhodes Waterside

43/1 Rider Boulevard, Rhodes

Ph: 0414 524 156

They have other branches: In Rooty Hill, Hurstville and Parramatta

Kaisendon Burwood

We've been seeing so many TikToks about this fresh seafood donburi restaurant in Burwood, so of course we had to go and try it for ourselves.

One Friday night, we got there just before 6pm, and lucky us, we managed to get the last available table.  No waiting for us that night, but apparently the queue here can get really long, especially because the restaurant itself isn't very big.

My husband went straight for his favourite fish, Bluefin tuna toro.  I ordered the salmon uni don, while my son got the assorted seafood don. 

And honestly... the seafood was super, super fresh.  It's definitely on the pricier side, but I can see why.  The quality of the seafood really shows.

The uni in my bowl was especially good.  It tasted like a better grade of uni.  It had a really nice, full texture rather than the type that just melts away in your mouth.  You could actually bite into it, and there was absolutely no fishy taste just sea smell.  The only problem?  There was literally just one piece of uni in my bowl.  Definitely NOT enough for me!  I wanted more!!

The eel was also cooked perfectly, tender, nicely done and full of flavour.

One thing to note: The restaurant is a little hidden in a back alley, so it can be easy to miss if you don't know where to look.  If you're coming from Burwood Road, go into Grace Lane, next to the tea shop and keep walking all the way to the end of the lane.  Then turn left and the restaurant is right there on the corner.

Kaisendon Burwood

Shop 7/180-186 Burwood Road, Burwood

Open: Thursday - Sunday 11am - 10pm