Dining

Dining in Tahiti will give you an opportunity to experience some of the most scrumptious French, Italian, Chinese, Vietnamese, Cantonese and Tahitian meals. Recent scads of restaurants have helped expand the Tahiti's culinary reach beyond the traditional delicacies.

Although, restaurants and eating joints offer a wide variety of Western and Chinese dishes, a Tahitian meal still remains highly popular. The Tahitian meal is cooked traditionally in an earthen cove called himaa in the local tongue. Local meals often include ingredients such as chicken, pork, fish and shellfish, leafy vegetables and root crops such as taro and yams. Most local delicacies are steamed and enriched by the liberal use of coconut cream.

Visitors can either dine at independent restaurants or at restaurants affiliated with hotels and resorts. Most hotels and resorts host at least one Tahitian feast featuring several local dishes. The poisson cru is a Tahitian style salad of fresh tuna, a dish found on almost every menu in the country. The tuna is marinated in limejuice, cucumbers, onions and tomatoes served in coconut cream. The sautéed shrimp is another Tahitian delicacy and is served in curry sauce and coconut cream.

Eating joints at Papeete feature large assortment of cuisine ranging from basic island staples like fruits and vegetables to snacks such as hamburgers and chicken steaks.

A. Top Restaurants

Auberge du Pacifique

Location: PK 11.2; Punaauia (3.7km/2 1/4 miles south of Sofitel Maeva Beach on the round-island road.

Phone: 43.98.30

The restaurant serves traditional French and Tahitian delicacies. The restaurant has been one of Tahiti's finest restaurants since 1974. The restaurant also boasts, Tahiti's only air-conditioned wine cellar. The restaurant offers a special visitor menu featuring the famous poisson cru and the light mahimahi soufflé. The restaurant can get pretty crowded especially during the weekends. It remains open from Wednesday to Monday from 11:30am to 2:30pm and 6:30pm to 10pm. The main course would costs between $20 and $40 and the tourist menu costs about $50. American Express, MasterCard and Visa are accepted for payment.

Le Lotus

Location: In Inter-Continental Tahiti Beachcomber Resort, Faaa (7km/4 miles west of Papeete).

Phone: 86.51.10, ext. 5512

The restaurant offers an elaborate French and Continental cuisine in a delightful ambience. The restaurant offers an unblocked view of the Moorea to create the ideal setting for a romantic dining experience. At lunchtime, visitors can choose between an extensive buffet and a standard three-course meal. The restaurant is open daily from 12:00pm to 2:30pm and from Tuesday to Saturday between 7:00pm and 9:30pm. Lunch at the restaurant can cost between $26 and $40 while dinner can cost $67 to $94. Diners Club, MasterCard, Visa and American Express cards are accepted for payment.

Le Belvédère

Location: Fare Ape Valley

Phone: 42.73.44

The restaurant has an inn like ambience and provides a spectacular view of the city and Mooera. The restaurant offers a delightful sunset cocktail in the evenings and its specialty, fondue Bourguignonne is served with six sauces. A three-course meal with wine and transportation at the restaurant costs about $55. It is closed on Wednesdays.

Casablanca Cocktail Resturant

Location: P.K. 9; Punaauia, at Marina Taina.

Phone: 43.91.35

The restaurant offers quality French and Mediterranean meals and is extremely popular with the local residents. Weekends at the restaurant feature live music and can get extremely crowded. Some of the best dishes on the menu are the shrimp in banana and curry sauce, the grilled rib-eye steak and the grilled mahimahi served with salad or French fries or rice. The restaurant is open daily from noon to 2:00pm and between 7:00pm and 10:00pm. The main course costs about $17 to $36 while the fixed price dinner costs about $46. American Express, MasterCard and Visa cards are accepted for payment at the restaurant.

Te Honu Iti - or The Little Turtle

Located at the edge of Cooks Bay, the Little Turtle is considered to be one of the best restaurants in Moorea. Offering French cuisine, it is a high quality, yet comfortable restaurant. The restaurant arranges a pick-up-and-drop service from your hotel if it is arranged in advance. Visitors can feed stingrays and tuna that swim up to the steps of the restaurant. Sophisticated service, with quality food and a gorgeous ambience, makes this restaurant extremely appealing.