French Food

One of the things I absolutely loved during my week in Noumea, was the French Food.

Nobody ever told me that the French Sticks they sell in the grocery store in New Zealand are nothing compared to the real, genuine Baguettes! You can eat those things just by themselves, they're so light and fluffy. We enjoyed the pastries of France last week too, from Pain au Chocolat to Croissants, little sweet tarts, strawberry and chocolate mousse and ham and cheese with the Baguettes.

This was the best pastry shop we found in downtown Noumea. We were attracted to it by the aroma's wafting down the street as we shopped.

See..... even at McDonalds.

To be sure, it was expensive to buy food in New Caledonia in some places, but it was so tempting to try out the different tastes. One of my great loves in life is cheese, and nobody does this better than the French. This was a little packet of Feta with herbs and spices on the top. We ate this with a baguette one afternoon in the city park.

Most of their dairy is imported from France (except some of the milk comes from New Zealand). Here we were at the local grocery store early in the week, choosing our cheese.

The cheese is out of this world - like the best, creamiest, most expensive cheese you would find here in New Zealand.

The Butter Shelf.

We did have a wee chuckle at this - wine in snack-sized disposable containers!

While out shopping, we went into a little chocolate shop. It was quite expensive so we didn't buy too much, but ohhhhh, what a feast for the eyes!

I did buy these Calisson. Unique to the south of France, I believe. They had a sweet, slightly almond flavour, with a fine texture. A little treat.

One of the highlights for me, would have to be our night out at the Crepe Restaurant, Creperie le Rocher. If you ever get the chance to go, remember to phone and book in first, as it is very popular.

I had a cheese savoury crepe to start with, which I didn't finish because I was desperate to try the desert crepe. I chose the Paysanne.

Caramalized apples, creme fraiche, caramel farm house butter with Apple Brandy poured over in flames. Could anything be better! It was amazing!

Tasting and experiencing different food is all part of going to a foreign country. There were things I bought and tasted and didn't like much, but mostly I enjoyed it all. The French certainly are the best at this!