NAMBANGA RESTAURANT

This week we give not so much a restaurant review, as recognition, and an encouragement to the students of the Hospitality, Tourism, and Leisure Training Center of Vanuatu.  The Nambanga Restaurant serves as a classroom providing a true-life learning experience for 24 restaurant service, and 24 food preparation candidates.  Located on the grounds of Vanuatu Institute of Technology, the restaurant serves a 3-course, set-menu lunch on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and dinner on Thursday evenings at 7:00.  It is opened to the public by reservation only, as there is seating only for 30.

          Funded by the European Commission, the restaurant is only one part of the Vanuatu Tourism Education and Training Project (VATET) whose goal is to provide training to young people from throughout the provinces in skills relevant to the tourist industry.  Harmon Chellen, a Mauritius Islander and Training Advisor for the hospitality dept., revealed that a much larger school and restaurant are under construction for 2007.  96 students will be interviewed and chosen for the expanded program, which adds Housekeeping Operations, and Tourism Studies (tour operator, agent, etc.) to the restaurant services majors.   The new restaurant will have an expanded capacity of 75.

          At the invitation of Harmon, we enjoyed a lunch, and a special event dinner cooked and served by exchange students from New Caledonia’s training center as a culmination of their studies here.  Reciprocally, Vanuatu candidates travel to New Caledonia.  We were quite impressed by the skills acquired by these young people, many of whom are exposed to lifestyles and standards quite foreign to their village life.  The three course meals are served at haute cuisine level, with full cutlery and glassware service, and dishes have elaborate French appellations such as: Pannequets de Fruit de Mer, Supreme de Volaille au gingembre/Riz madras, and Cygne Chantilly. (Oh-la-la!)  The “cuistos” (cooks) are thusly challenged to concoct cuisine worthy of such lofty names.  The students who served us rose admirably to the challenge, puffy pastry, tomato roses, starbursts of fruit coulis, and all!  The modest charge of 950vt for the meal helps to offset the restaurant’s expenses.  Non-alcoholic beverages are served, or the students will be all too happy to uncork and serve wine brought in.  All diners are given a comment form to fill out at the end of the meal to rate the overall experience.  Here critique is not only welcome, but sought.

          We “test dummies” were all too happy to be experimented upon, and our “conditioned response” is to return for further evaluation!  Please call 22294/5 or 26830 or send your reservation through e-mail <vatet@vanuatu.com.vu>

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