Traiteur Le Surabaya Noumea Indonesian Restaurant in South Pacific

It was my birthday, and I wanted to have Indonesian food for lunch—a small wish, except for the fact that we were in New Caledonia and I had no idea if an Indonesian restaurant in Noumea even existed.

After a slow Google search (the internet tends to be patchy in Noumea), I found three Indonesian restaurants in the city. Three! For a population of just over 100,000, that felt like three too many.

Traiteur Le Surabaya — Indonesian restaurant in Noumea

Only one seemed to be open that day, and its name, Restaurant Traiteur Le Surabaya, sounded convincing. They didn’t have a website—just a Facebook page—so going there meant risking that they might not even be open.

After mulling it over through my third glass of midday wine on a beach bed, accompanied by a curious seagull beside me, I decided we should just go. It wasn’t like I had a better plan for my birthday (aside from the midday wine on the beach bed).

We asked the hotel to call us a taxi (public transport isn’t really a thing in Noumea). The restaurant was closing in less than an hour, so that was our only option.

On our first day, while driving from the airport into the city, I had seen a few charming wooden buildings with canopies overlooking the pier—cafés with big glass windows. I thought for sure the Indonesian restaurant would be there.

Spoiler: it wasn’t.

After a few wrong turns and repeated redirections from Fafa—who was smart enough to download the map app offline—the taxi finally dropped us in the most industrial AF area. For some reason, it reminded me of my first job at Kaki Bukit in Singapore—not exactly a memory I wanted to summon on my birthday.

Thankfully, the restaurant was open. It was midsize, with both indoor and outdoor seating under a covered area. A glass display case at the front showed off dishes in a deli-style setup. The decor was plenty Indonesian with rattans bowls and two Javanese wedding statues sitting high on top of a counter.

Once seated, I snapped a picture of the French menu, intending to translate it. That’s when the owner came over to greet us. I asked if she spoke Bahasa (she did), so I asked what was good. She said, “Oh, I’ll prepare you a plate with a bit of everything.”

“Yes, please!” I replied quickly, then added, “We like it spicy.”

“What’s ‘everything’?” Fafa asked to clarify after she went inside the kitchen. But by then it was too late—I had already agreed. This has always been my thing: throwing caution to the wind and letting myself be surprised, especially by the potential of good things, like eating Indonesian food in an Indonesian restaurant in Noumea.

Minutes later, our Teh Botol arrived. It the bubbliest, frothiest Teh Botol I’ve ever had, almost like root beer foam on top, garnished with an island flower. Delicious.

Then came two plates piled high with food, rice in the middle. The dishes were served by another staff member, who in turn asked if I spoke Bahasa. He then asked if we had any dietary restrictions. Honestly—with two full plates already in front of us, isn’t it a little late for that, mate?

He went on to explain what we were eating: two kinds of beef, pork, chicken, and a mix of other dishes.

The meal was plentiful, but not at all satisfying. The flavors weren’t Indonesian—Asian, maybe—but definitely not Indo. Which makes sense, given how difficult it must be to bring Southeast Asian ingredients onto a small island in the floating in South Pacific. Also, the food had must have been adapted to local tastes.

Sambal Kecap in South Pacific

A small highlight: It came with a small plate of sambal—but it was sambal kecap (sweet soy sauce) with chili. It had been so long since I’d had sambal kecap that I was happy to see it, though the meal would’ve been better with a basic red chili sambal. I assumed they didn’t have any… until I went to pay and spotted bottles of it sitting right there on the counter. Oh well…

Though the food itself wasn’t authentic, the owner was authentically Indonesian-friendly (she even helped call us a taxi back to the hotel, since there was no other way to get back).

On the ride back, I started reminiscing about the Indonesian food I’ve had the privilege of enjoying outside of Indonesia. This might just be the most remote place where I’ve eaten Indonesian food, and it felt like a beautiful milestone in my Indo-food-around-the-world adventure—one I got to tick off on my birthday.

Indo Food Atlas

Indonesian Food Around the World series: A Cheat Sheet for Indonesian Food in London / Rijsttafel-ing Indonesian Food in Amsterdam / Indonesia Food in Zurich My Most Expensive Meal in Switzerland / Authentic Indonesian Food in Seoul at Bakso Bejo Korea / It’s Java Authentic Indonesian Street Food in Auckland / Makan A Celebration of Indonesian Cuisine in Melbourne / Rasa Rosa A So So Indonesian Food in Canberra / Indonesian Restaurants in Cairns / Indonesian Food in Darwin Leaves Something to Be Desired / I Tracked Down Indonesian Food in Reykjavík Iceland / Ravintola Bali Best Indonesian Meal in Scandi Region / Cabe A Culinary Delights of Indonesian Cuisine in Tokyo / Traiteur Le Surabaya Noumea Indonesian Restaurant in South Pacific.

Traiteur Le Surabaya Address: 30 Rte de la Baie des Dames, Nouméa 98800, New Caledonia.

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