Chez Willies, Port Vila’s newest joint

Dev Nadkarni
It’s not the typical, rugged, dimly lit watering hole sporting hard, straight-backed seating and sharp-cornered tables that dot the main streets of so many Pacific Islands. Not the type of place you’d expect to overhear snatches of old sailors’ tall tales told in gruff voices amidst loud, blaring music.

A range of cocktails at Chez Willies Bar.

Chez Willies, Port Vila’s newest joint, breaks the mould of the typical Pacific Island chill-out place. Perched on a high hill far away from Port Vila’s bustling main street, Chez Willies offers wraparound views of Efate Island’s southwestern coast through its large picture windows. It’s a stone’s throw from the upscale Le Lagon Resort and overlooks it for the most part.

Well lit, with spotless white table linen and sparkling glass and stemware, the place spells class with a service to match. More restaurant than pub, Chez Willie’s bar is not as large as one would like it to be but it stocks a full range of spirits right down to Vanuatu’s pride -the locally brewed Tusker beer and has a couple of interesting signature cocktails complementing the usual mixes.

Willie’s Golden Dream is one of the specials—a very ‘liqueury’ concoction of equal parts of the hazel nutty Frangelico, creamy Tia Maria and good old Kahlua in crushed ice shaken with cream. Go for it if starting with something sweetish is your style.

There’s plenty to go with your tipple. And it’s not just the very, very French menu choc-a-bloc with a full complement of Entrees Chaudes and Froides (cold and hot entrees), main courses and desserts: there’s plenty of live entertainment as well. On the Friday night that we visited, there was a half-hour traditional dance show in which lei-wearing guests joined and danced away for nearly an hour after. The leis came courtesy of Chez Willies.

Wilie's Golden Dream

The place takes its name after its founder-owner Leslie Willie. Leslie is ni-Vanuatu, “but I went to an all-French school,” he says “and I picked up English only later.” A read of his menu tells you how much of a dyed-in-the-wool Monsieur he is.

He’s spent two decades working as a chef in French restaurants in several countries and it was his dream to open his own place. “And Chez Willies happened—just a few months ago,” he says with a sparkle in his eyes. He’s converted an old villa that doubled up as a Thai restaurant into the swanky place that Chez Willies is today.

The menu is French and we ask for suggestions. For the entrée, Willie suggests the soup du jour (a choice of pumpkin and fish) and for the mains he recommends Carre de cotes D’agneau a la crème d’ail and Papillote de Poulet au Basilic (Lamb chops with garlic cream and wrapped Poulet fish with basil—thank the Lord for good ol’ English translations printed in smaller type beneath the listings!). And of course, there is Vanuatu’s famous T-bone steak and ribs served with a variety of sauces.

“Chez Willies is now a must-visit on most tourists’ itineraries,” says a Vanuatu Tourism official. There’s no reason why it shouldn’t be. Seek it out when you’re in Port Vila next.