Category: Foodie Experiences

Foodie Experiences at Papaya Villa

Afternoon Tapas

And there goes the afternoon...

We decided to give dinner a miss and spend the afternoon making and eating tapas in the Loco Kitchen. A glass or two of wine and there it is!

Crispy fried squid tentacles, home made chorizo bread, pork feijoada, tender eye fillet pinchos, patatas brava, and prawn and chorizo paella…

Guests are able to order dinner, just let me know in the morning and the menu really depends on what is available and fresh.

We do operate the Papaya Loco Cooking School from here so the food is always fresh and interesting.
Just another option for dinner for our wonderful guests….

Fried squid tentacles and flakey salttoes
Home made chorizo bread
Feijoada Tapa
Tender Pork Feijoada
Pinchos Tapas
Eye filet pinchos
Prawn Paelle

Paella at Papaya

Spain comes to the South Pacific ...

Who would have thought you could enjoy paella here in the islands of the South Pacific?

Our paella is one of the most requested dishes at our Long Lunches. The scent of saffron, bay leaves and beautiful lobster stock floats around the villa.

Many of our guests take a cooking class with Marcus in the afternoon and then that’s dinner done! If we have lobster from our reef then it finds its way into the paella also.

The hero ingredients usually depend on what’s available here at the time. It may be farmed prawns from Teouma, octopus from Efate, or beautiful poulet fish which is a speciality of Vanuatu. For vegetarians imagine tofu marinated in garlic and smokey paprika with brown rice and black beans!

Stoney makes her fabulous sangria. Perfect with paella on a tropical island

This will be a memorable meal for sure…

Paella

The Loco Long Lunch

How about a five hour long lunch with Caribbean and Portuguese food ... followed by a swim

Stoney sets up the big table in the nakamal at least once a month…. but this is becoming popular so check in when you are staying and join the fun. Lunch kicks off around midday and usually followed by a swim around 3:30 and then onto dessert!
Marcus makes 5+ courses using what is fresh and available locally. Food is Caribbean or Macanese and every now and then he will surprise our guests with a typical island dish.
It is BYO so guests bring their favourite drop. It a great afternoon… usually Sunday afternoon…

Long Lunch

Our Wood Fired Oven

Who doesn't like something out of a wood fired oven!

This was my weekend project. A true labour of love. Now we make pizzas, roast vegetables and with the addition of a ‘Tuscan Grill’ we grill steaks, lobsters, fish and anything else you can think of… oh yes… Portuguese Pirri Pirri Chicken.
The oven is built to the original Pompeii Oven specifications which are very precise. The floor of the oven is fire bricks and under them is an insulation layer of sand and empty beer bottles. Yes I took one for the team and emptied a few… well more than a few but who’s counting.

wood-fired oven

Living on a tropical island has its challenges. If you want something you need to build it your self… oh yes .. assuming you can get the materials. This little project took me almost two months. What with waiting on refractory cement and fire bricks to arrive from overseas. Was it worth it?

Definitely. It looks beautiful and is so much fun to cook with. We have had afternoons or evenings with guests where we light it up and make some amazing food. There is some thing magical about cooking with fire… and of a night it just looks romantic. We are constantly learning how to use the oven and also what timber to use… We are stock piling timber now to allow it to dry for approximately 12 months!

The Tuscan Grill
Steak from the oven
The Loco Kitchen