MS Oosterdam and our South Pacific Food Paradise

Living large is for everyone.

It’s been a whirlwind action packed couple of months for me and my family.  In between reunions, special occasions, surgery and recovery, overseas travel and busy careers, Kelly and I have been able to squeeze in meals at a number of restaurants, from pub grub and club grub, to five star fine dinning, and it’s mostly been marvelous, and for the most part expensive.

It’s becoming increasingly apparent to me that Food Trekking is at its best if the emphasis is placed on both words equally.  To be able to fly off to other cities or sail away to foreign shores to experience the local food and the different cultural perspectives to food, is truly, in my humble opinion, living life to the fullest.  Make no mistake, Food Trekking is an expensive sport, and most working class stiffs like me can’t afford to do high end Food Trekking that often.  But I think I've found a sure fire way to live large for at least a couple of weeks a year. 

 

Foodie dreams can come true.  Research is the key.

So let me pose a quick question to you.  How much would it cost to stay in a five star hotel for 14 nights and eat in five star restaurants three times a day during your stay?  Also throw in live entertainment every night and the use of all the facilities a top resort has to offer.  I know, I couldn’t afford it either.  That is until we discovered Ocean Cruising.

 

                She's a beauty, and so's the ship

                                               I love Port Villa, Vanuatu.  I should write a song.

You may have read about our first cruise aboard the 3 star P&O Pacific Dawn in March last year.  It was a fantastic adventure and the most affordable holiday we have ever taken.  You could easily compare it to a floating club or pub.  The Pacific Dawn is neat casual with the emphasis on quantity versus quality.  Although, having said that, the food was really good.

We were so excited about cruising that we immediately started to research our next cruise.  This time it had to be 5 star.  We went to the travel agent and got all available books and brochures on every cruise line that operates out of Australian shores and even international ports.  I've spent long hours reading them from cover to cover.

I clicked the favourite button on over a dozen cruise line web sites and cruise reviewer sites.  I found lots of websites that specialise in cruise deals and a few cruise bloggers as well.  One of my very favourite blogs is called “A Cruisey Life”, you should give it a Google.  Finally we narrowed our choice down to the Holland America Line.  Five star luxury all the way for a 14 night south Pacific Island cruise.  The cruise has seven ports of call in three countries, New Caledonia, Vanuatu and Fiji.


               MS Oosterdam

Latuka, Fiji, markets 

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                                                                               Fiji fish markets.  It's hot and there's no refrigeration  

                                            Fiji markets are huge and busy.  Very exciting.

Now here is a really important fact that all first time cruisers must pay attention to.  DON’T PAY FULL PRICE.  Did you get that?  NEVER pay the brochure price for a cruise.  Not unless money is no object and even then you can save a bundle and send the rest to me.  I’m not rich after all.  The brochure price is only a guide line, a figure to base your budgeting on, NOT what any sane person would pay. 

Here is a really good example.

The brochure price for the 14 day cruise on the Holland America Line MS Oosterdam was $3800 each for a twin share interior cabin.  By the way, the interior cabins are beautiful (5 star all the way).  We joined the online Holland America Mariners Club and within a couple of days were receiving email specials and discounts.  Four months before the cruise was due to disembark (that’s nautical talk for leave), I received an exclusive Mariners club deal in the snail mail.  The deal was if I book and pay for the cruise by the end of the month, I could have it for $1800 each.  That’s $2000 discount each.  Amazing! 

I booked and paid for that cruise so fast it made my head spin.  But wait, there’s more to this story.  Two weeks later I was watching the weekly half hour cruise deal show called “Cruise Savers” on TV4ME free to air channel, and they were selling the same cabins on the same cruise for the next 30 minutes for only $1200 each.    

I still think I got an amazing deal and so there’s definitely no regret, but you can see that there are some mind boggling deals out there just waiting to be snapped up.  Every cruise line has some sort of on-line club that is free to join.  This way you can receive their weekly email deals.  

The closer to the embarkation date for a cruise, the cheaper the fare.  It’s as if they don’t want to sail with empty rooms, because passengers spend money while on board, which makes sense.  So don’t just pay what the travel agent is asking or the brochure price.  Look around, do your home work and save a bundle.  That’s more money for you to spend on your holiday.

  

           Our interior suite was beautiful

                                                       Our upgrade was even better

You never know your luck, because you might get a lovely surprise, once you’re on board your ship, as we did.  On the first night of our cruise, we were up graded for free to a deluxe balcony suite.  The brochure price is $5500 each.  So that’s $11000 worth of cruise for $3600.  I don’t know why we were upgraded, but I’m sure it happens a lot.    

I can’t think of a better way to travel.

Speaking of which, we had a ball.  Do you remember that earlier I compared the Pacific Dawn with a floating pub?  Well the Oosterdam is like a floating palace.  It sparkles with polished wood, crystal and brass.  The service is immaculate and the food is so first class.  Our fares included dining in opulence three times a day.  Ordering off a menu for breakfast every morning after my workout, steam and spa became a luxurious routine.  And I became used to seeing Lobster tails and snails on the dinner menu.  Even the different types of bread that appeared on every table were gourmet.  

                      View from the Vista Restaurant

                   

 

Fine Dining at the Vista is included in your fare

                                                                                         The Vista is a multi level venue

For as little as $69 each we were treated to the Cellar Masters dinner, which consisted of seven breath taking courses, all accompanied by a French, Californian or Portuguese wine.  Every course was introduced by the Maitre d' and each wine was explained by the Cellar Master.  The degustation was held in the opulent Pinnacle Grill restaurant and the service was world class.  Of course lobster made an appearance and there was a truffle infused mousse, crab, steak, fish, and two dessert courses.  The dinner took us nearly three hours to eat.  This was truly a genuine food trek experience that will be hard to forget.   

    

              Atrium Cocktail Bar

 

                                                      Pinnacle Grill Restaurant

                                                                                 Our romantic little table at the Pinnacle Grill

The Vista restaurant is the huge dining room where all meals are included in your fare.  The menu is updated daily and the food and service is superb.  There is no pre cooked, alternate menu, banquet hall type, mass produced garbage here.  The food is fresh and cooked to order.  The presentation is what you would expect at any amazing restaurant and the serving staff is friendly and professional.

The Vista dining room can seat hundreds at a time and it never seems crowded

The Oosterdam also has an all you can eat, available for most of the day, buffet that is all about quality and variety.  As you make your way along any one of the food stations, you just point to what you would like and a server will oblige.  By the Lido deck pool on any given day is a Mexican food stand that boasts an array of delicious tacos, burritos and enchiladas, along with all the trimmings.  Across the deck is a burger joint that also dishes up some good old fashioned snacks like New York beef or turkey hot dogs, and fish and chips.  You can even grab a slice or two of wonderful pizza up until 11.30pm to satisfy those late night cravings. 

The MS Oosterdam is foodie heaven, and you can indulge yourself to your hearts content completely on this cruise.  Did I mention the midnight desert festival held on the pool deck?  The deck is covered in tables of sumptuous desserts and chocolate fountains, being feasted upon by lucky passengers, who eat, drink and dance to the live band under the coloured festoon lights in the warm tropical air.  Oh man, I’m there.  

The view from our balcony 

Now this is what I call a spa

Did I also mention the cocktail tasting every afternoon?  The barman is almost acrobatic in his dexterity as he mixes countless varieties of delicious mind numbing concoctions to the delight of everyone who were fast enough to get a seat at the popular atrium cocktail bar. 

How about trying your hand at a cooking class?  The Holland America Culinary Arts School hold expert cooking classes in the purpose built cooking studio, hosted by a world class chef who then serves you your creation along with some complimentary wines.  There is also chocolate and Port tasting sessions and wine of the world tasting experiences. 

  

            Culinary school was a lot of fun

  

                                                    Allan can do wonders with booze

Food Trekking in the Tropics.

In two weeks of brilliant dining experiences and first class travel, we managed to visit three different countries that offered amazing adventures as well.  If you can’t find some decent French food in Noumea, your just not trying very hard.  The place is loaded with restaurants and bistros that will have you thinking you’re in Paris. 

There are many beautiful resorts that compete for the title of the best French cuisine in the South Pacific.  There are so many good places to eat, I think you will be amazed when you Google restaurants in Noumea.  This time around we indulged in some French wine and cheese tasting.  They were really very good; however I am a bit in love with Australian wine and cheese, so I’m not a fair judge.

   

  

                 French wine and cheese in Noumea

                                                    We made a lot of Friends on the cruise

The stand out shore restaurant on this cruise for us is called “Chill” in Port Villa, Vanuatu.  Just ask any of the thousands of taxi drivers (I think everyone in Villa is a taxi driver) and they’ll take you straight there.  This beautifully appointed venue is the perfect escape from the tropical heat and humidity.  The panoramic windows give the diner an excellent view across the waters to the Iririki Resort.  The specialty of the house is the full lobster.  They are monsters and they’re cooked with a decadent butter sauce and served with salad and chips or any other superfluous side dish.  These babies are so big we couldn’t eat anything else besides the lobster themselves.  The local beer is called “Tusker” and is the perfect icy cold accompaniment to the seafood.  The lobsters were only $40 each.  I think we would have paid at least $100 for a lobster this size back home in Australia.

       

  

       Monster lobsters at "Chill Restaurant" in Port Villa

                                      Those lobsters smelled amazing.  See how excited we are?

It’s a scientific fact that no matter how much a woman eats, she always has room for dessert.  Chill restaurant is famous in Vanuatu for their chocolate soufflé.  You must give the chef a twenty minute head start but the result is impressive.  I couldn’t eat another thing, but I watched with fascination as Kelly worked her way through this masterpiece.  With each bite she went deeper into a trance that can only be induced by an extreme rush of chocolaty goodness.  If the waitress had tried to take Kelly’s plate early I believe there would have been blood shed.  After nearly licking the chrome off the spoon, Kelly wanted to hug the chef and steal his recipe.  I got her out of there with out an international incident.  This was the second time we have eaten at Chill and we are super impressed.  Is love too strong a word (not when it comes to the chocolate soufflé).  We recommend the place to everyone and can’t wait to go back to Port Villa to visit our favourite south Pacific restaurant.

             Another beautiful day in the tropics.

They sell everything in Noumea

                                                                                Lifou Island is typical paradise material.

         Mystery Island is fantastic for snorkeling.

Can’t get enough of that high seas cuisine.

The end of a cruise is always a little heart breaking for me.  I don’t want to get off.  But I have my memories, my photos and the knowledge that it’s only a matter of time before I get back on board one of these giants of the sea, travel to exotic places, and eat and drink myself silly.  I’m doing my homework and researching the best deals, and I’ve only managed to narrow down my options to somewhere on this big blue planet.  There are so many ships, so many ports of call, so much food, and so little time.  I’m just going to have to try them all.

So until next time my friends,

Bon Voyage and Bon Appetite. 

Karl and Kelly
Our first cruise ship formal night

     

    

Joie de Vivre – the joy of life

41 King Street, Warwick, Queensland

07-46671907

0409054939

It was like digging for coal and finding gold completely by chance.  It’s not quite a restaurant or a café, or a club, nor an art gallery; it’s more like a dinner club or a jazz club, or all of these things rolled into one.  And as far as I know, Joie de Vivre doesn't advertise, it’s all word of mouth, and that’s how I first heard about it, from one of my Warwick contacts who told me that the hottest local buzz was that this is somewhere really special.  Somewhere different.  Somewhere I had to experience.

  

I didn’t waste any time, I high tailed it over to King Street to the century old building with the charming façade and found the shop I was looking for and it was closed.  I was standing out the front writing down the contact number when the door opened and the most excited person I have met in a long time practically dragged me inside to have a look around.  The large room was tastefully decorated in a bohemian artsy style with paintings, sketches and Moulin Rouge play bills adorning the walls.  The mismatched tables and chairs only added to the charm and feel of the place. 

 

                            "Jazz Aperitif"

                                                                 Deeny and Kelly

The lady was no other than the proprietor Deeny Kohler-Caporale.  She speaks with a mysterious accent I couldn’t quite place (is it French? Is it Brazilian? Who cares?), and an enthusiasm for music, art, food and people that is so infectious I couldn’t wait to book a table.  She was so sorry that I had missed her Edith Piaf night that was a rousing success but not to worry as there is a jazz and tapas night coming up and I wouldn’t want to miss that. 

Deeny held my attention so easily with her flamboyant way of expressing herself.  Of course we will come to the jazz and tapas night.  Just try to stop me.  It turns out that joie de vivre is only open one night a week to the public and caters to private functions a couple of nights a week.  It’s rather exclusive but that’s how Deeny wants it.  Every night has to be special to her patrons.  She focuses all of her passion into her weekly soirees

 

And that’s what we found when we arrived for the jazz night.  The atmosphere was amazing.  Every seat was taken and we were seated with other couples who were equally impressed with the swinging jazz atmosphere. 

“Jazz Aperitif” is a three piece Darling Downs jazz band that were grooving away in the front of the restaurant and they are a tight unit to be sure.  It was great entertainment just to watch the drummer paradidling around the rim of his bass drum and skimming the edge of his cymbals and the double bass player worked his way around the huge fret board.   The piano player created the wonderful jazz melodies that had toes tapping and bodies rocking in their chairs.

Deeny took the microphone to welcome everyone and say a few words about the upcoming tapas dishes that would be soon making their way to our tables, but we were gobsmacked when she called out a time to the band and broke into song.   We were treated to a brilliant rendition of Ella Fitzgerald’s At Last followed by a Nat King Cole and then a Ray Charles classic.  My goodness the room was in awe of the extraordinary talent of Deeny Kohler-Caporale.

The night had well and truly begun under the dim lights of the chandeliers with the wine flowing and the jazz pumping.  Plates of wonderful food magically appeared on each table and continued to be passed around among the laughter and frivolity.  Pastries and patties, gourmet meats and exotic dips with toasted flat bread.  There was more music, more food and wine, more laughter and more applause.  The hours flew by and the guests were wanting more, more, more.  What a great night.

It’s easy to look back and see that Joie de Vivre is a massive success and cherished nightspot in Warwick.  The jazz nights are mixed with foreign movie dinning nights, Philosophy nights, Book readings and art appreciation nights amongst other creative events.  All highlighted with Tapas, French, South American and other beautiful cuisines and of course the ever effervescent personality of Deeny Kohler-Caporale as your host.

Deeny’s “Joie de Vivre” is all about art, food, and music.  It’s all about love and people.  

It’s all about “The Joy of Life”.

Don’t forget that Joie de Vivre café is open during the week so you can come and have some lunch, a cuppa and a delicious home made desert with Deeny anytime.  Deeny has a couple of fantastic jazz nights planned during the Warwick “Jumpers and Jazz in July” festival, so book early.  You won’t be disappointed. Oh, and look her up on Facebook.

Bon Appetite

Karl

P & O Pacific Dawn Cruise Ship

Pacific Dawn
7 days Pacific Island Hopper Cruise

Port Vila

If you've been on an ocean liner before you’ll understand the excitement we experienced going on one for the first time.  And if you've never been on a cruise before I strongly suggest that you give it a try at least once in your life.  I think you’ll be hooked.

We were looking for an amazing Food Trek Adventure, and we sure found more than we bargained for when we decided to try ocean cruising.  Kelly and I have never been on a cruise before and so lots of research was needed to be prepared.  The P&O website is fantastic and each cruise has its own Facebook page, which was great for asking experienced cruisers’ questions and getting to know other passengers’ before we even got going.  Planning your cruise is a huge part of the fun and we were planning this one for twelve months.

Outside Brisbane terminal

Up until actually departing I had never even been up close to a cruise ship, and the Pacific Dawn is massive.  When you’re standing on the dock looking up it’s hard to believe something so big can move at all.  I have to admit it was love at first sight.  The Dawn is a mechanical marvel and a thing of beauty.  The ship is 242 metres long and weighs in at over 70,000 tons, 14 decks with 795 cabins and suites.  There are pubs, a night club and comedy club and bars all over the place, a casino, a huge theatre for brilliant nightly shows and daily activities, restaurants, a pizza and burger bar, an ice cream parlour, beauty spa, a gymnasium, cafes, an internet café, a library, swimming pools and Jacuzzis and a giant flat screen for outside movies day and night, and a jogging track.  It’s a floating holiday resort that takes care of everything and doesn't miss a beat.

One of the two pools on the Lido Deck

                                                                    The Atrium.  Three stories of shops and shows.

 

                            This is the life for us.

We were lucky enough to be upgraded from a deck five windowless cabin to a deck eight cabin with a window.  We had a beautiful view of a life boat.  Of course we had the least expensive cabin but it was lovely, as good as any hotel room with its own bathroom we have stayed in.  For the whole cruise we had a wonderful cabin steward who looked after our every need.  Twice a day our room was made immaculate and we always found a chocolate on our pillow and a cleverly folded animal made from a bath towel.

Besides all of the different activities on board, the food is of utmost importance to just about everyone.  Some people we met go on cruises just for the food.  If you wanted to, you could eat just about nonstop.

The view from our cabin

  

                       Towel folding demonstration

Fruit and veg carving demonstration

Your fare includes all meals at the Plantation restaurant buffet and the Waterfront a la carte restaurant.  That’s right; you don’t have to spend a cent on food the whole time.  The food is of a very high quality and I will focus on the menus and service in upcoming articles.  For a fine dining experience there is celebrity Chef Luke Mangan’s Salt Grill restaurant.  For a nominal fee of $40 per head, you will be treated to three courses of superb dishes.  With a panoramic view out the rear of the ship is La Luna restaurant which offers Asian fusion delights of eight courses for only $25 per head. 

We smiled like this the whole time

                  Kelly and Michael go formal

Of course Kelly and I had to try everything so we could tell you about it, but I have to say that even though the food at the fee charging restaurants was amazing, it would be a pleasure to take every meal at the buffet.   The Plantation buffet is two buffet lines that cover every taste and dietary need.  There are so many different dishes on offer that it’s hard not to over eat.  Most of the time my lunch plate had six different dishes on it and I was still tempted to go back for more.

Our daily routine always started with exercise.  Kelly did the morning boot camp with a personal trainer and I hit the treadmill and weights in the gym.  Lots of people told us we would put on a stack of weight while cruising and we were determined not to.  After a shower I would relax at Charlie’s café with a cappuccino while I planned my day with the daily newsletter that listed all the different activities from martini making classes to dance lessons.  Then, on most days I would meet up with Kelly for breakfast at the Plantation buffet and then off to a dance lesson or bingo or a sauna and steam, or to just walk the deck and relax.

In the evenings we would dress up for dinner and then catch an eye popping show in the Marque theatre.  After the show we could chose to have a drink in the piano bar, play trivia for prizes, watch a live band or sing karaoke.  Later on there is a sit down comedy club followed by the nightly party in the night club.  There is also a new release movie on the Lido deck where you can lay back on a deck lounge and sip a cocktail while enjoying a movie with friends.

Coconut Park Noumea

                Roadside markets Port Vila

                                                                 Coconut juice on Lifou Island

Days thee, four and five saw us coming into Noumea New Caledonia, Lifou Island, and Port Vila Vanuatu.  French Polynesia and Vanuatu are tropical wonders with shore tours to please every taste, from gentle sightseeing to more adventurous adrenaline junkie tours.  Our son Michael explored coral reefs teeming with beautiful sea life with a snorkeling tour while Kelly and I sought out French and local restaurants and native markets. 

                          Vila fruit market

P&O Pacific Dawn

On Noumea we found genuine French chocolatier and in Port Vila we ate a local coconut crab.  We saw how other cultures live and met some really friendly beautiful people.  Our seven day cruise was an amazing adventure that made it possible for us to relax, have a ton of fun and discover an abundance of fabulous dishes.  Future article will take a closer look at each dining experience while on the cruise.  We are already planning our next cruise some time in 2014, and I think it will have to be longer than seven days, don’t you?

Karl