Recently I was lucky enough to travel to New Britain in Papua New Guinea, where I stayed at Kokopo Beach Bungalows. Now, not only was this a baller place in a great town, but I got to eat at Hauswin Restaurant, which might well now be my favourite in all PNG.
Why so? Well, an absolutely good menu, fabulous ambience, safety, seafood and bloody good food.
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What the Kokopo and Beach Bungalows
Kokopo is the capital of East New Britain and sits on Blanche Bay, around 20 kilometres from Rabaul. Rabaul was once the capital of the province, but after the devastating volcanic eruptions of 1994, much of the town was destroyed and the provincial capital was moved to Kokopo.
Today Kokopo is the main commercial centre of East New Britain, while Rabaul remains one of the main tourist attractions in the area thanks to its volcanoes, Japanese tunnels, World War II history and generally insane scenery.
Kokopo itself is much more chilled out, with shops, restaurants, bars and a surprisingly decent amount of things to do. It is also the main base for exploring East New Britain, including Rabaul, the Duke of York Islands and the various cultural and historical attractions around the province.
I stayed at Kokopo Beach Bungalows, which is located right on the water and has rooms facing the sea and pool, as well as a swimming pool, spa and various other facilities. It is also home to Hauswin Restaurant, which is where I spent a frankly unreasonable amount of time eating.
The Hauswin Restaurant
So for me the highlight of the stay was without doubt this absolute peach of a restaurant located just inside the hotel. It essentially has three wings, the indoor part, the coffee shop and the outdoor area overlooking Kokopo Beach.
They offer a complimentary breakfast, but it is a bit limited, so I went for the steak, egg and chips every day. They tended to get my order of rare correct, which is a miracle in PNG.
Their lunch and dinner menus are then very clearly separated, with them also offering Indian curries, Asian noodles, some Chinese dishes as well as a full Filipino menu. Honestly, choosing was fairly intense.
Some examples from the lunch menu include:
Chicken Curry: K60 / US$15
Beef Curry: K65 / US$16
Chicken Adobo: K60 / US$15
Filipino Pancit: K60 / US$15
Sweet and Sour Pork: K60 / US$15
Fish and Chips: K56 / US$14
Kokoda: K48 / US$12
Lamb Wacipoki: K56 / US$14
PNG Mumu: K60 / US$15
The Filipino menu is particularly interesting, with dishes such as chicken adobo, pancit, sweet and sour pork and other Filipino classics. So basically, you can come here and eat your way around Asia without ever leaving Kokopo.
The reason you come here though is for the seafood at night. Here they have seafood noodles, which are great, as well as different lobster options for around the $30 mark. What blew my mind though was the Pacific Basket, which came recommended by the staff. Lobster, shrimp, crab and a whole bunch of other crap, some deep fried, others not, with chips. There was so much here that they had to give the shell cracker as well. All of this is in a slightly spicy sauce.
The New Ireland lobster that it came with was also frankly divine and had I had more time I would have destroyed one of them as well. Alas, time and the need to try some street food got the better of me.
Sample menu items at Hauswin Restaurant
Pacific Basket: K120 / US$30
New Ireland Lobster: K120 / US$30
Kavieng Crab: K88 / US$22
Coconut Coated Prawns: K70 / US$18
Thai Chilli Prawns: K70 / US$18
Sweet and Sour Pork: K60 / US$15
Fish of the Day: K70 / US$18
Steak: K88 / US$22
Drinking at Hauswin Restaurant
A decent wine list, as well as cocktails to cleanse the palate. The cocktail of the day when I was there was a Bloody Mary. It was OK, but they should have put a shrimp on it as I have seen in places like Vietnam.
Other than that, all the standard stuff like SP Beer, although for the first time I saw it in a big can. Or you can, as in all of PNG, get homebrew and drink in your room. Ten points for guessing what Paiawaraman did!
(Tiktok – https://www.tiktok.com/@thestreetfoodguys/video/7678531939506212118)
Where the Hauswin Restaurant?
Hauswin Restaurant
Kokopo Beach Bungalow Resort
1 Kurur Place
Kokopo
East New Britain Province 613
Papua New Guinea
Telephone: +675 982 8788
Mobile: +675 7122 7688 / +675 7220 9281
Email: reservations@kbb.com.pg
Or you can come with me! As I am currently planning a tour to New Britain!