Restaurants And Dining

Honeymoons should be about tantalising all the senses, and taste is just one of them. A romantic dinner without fine food and wine is just two people in love with a table between them.

Vanuatu

Arguably the best legacy left by the French part of the old New Hebrides condominium is the cuisine.

The resorts all have good restaurants but visitors to Vanuatu who don’t leave their resort to sample some of the restaurants are doing themselves a disservice. The larger restaurants have excellent restaurants (and Melanesian feast nights) but they are ‘resort’ restaurants catering to a large number of people. The smaller resorts offer superb dining - Tilly’s (Chantilly’s on the Bay); Tamanu on the Beach; Roxy’s on the Lagoon (Erakor Island Resort); The Officer’s Club (Benjor Beach Resort) and Breaka’s Beach Resort are wonderful.

And then you have Vila Chaumieres, The Rossi, Café du Village, l’Houstalet, Tropik Bistro, the Waterfront Bar and Grill… the list goes on. Whether it be breakfast, lunch or dinner, you won’t be disappointed.

There are more than 30 restaurants in and around Vila offering a variety of cuisines - email us if you’d like more detailed information.

Fiji

Fiji is not like Vanuatu, the Cook Islands or New Caledonia in that it’s not as easy to leave most resorts and try local restaurants - and this is why the resort dining is so good.

In the larger resorts you will have a choice of restaurants (the Shangri-la Fijian has five restaurants, for example) and in the boutique resorts, the chef will ensure there’s a changing menu. Try the traditional lovo feasts and local dishes like kokoda (pronounced kokonda).

If you do venture into one of the larger towns and like curry, you’ll certainly be rewarded. Remember nearly half the population is Indian! Chinese restaurants are also very common, and a good plan is to look for an Indian place for lunch and a Chinese restaurant for dinner. That's because the Indian restaurants are usually dry (no alcohol) whereas you can always get beer at the Chinese places. Predictable but good international cuisine is on the menu at Chefs Restaurant in Nadi and Suva, owned by the Jacks Handicrafts chain. Chopsticks is an inexpensive Chinese restaurant with two locations around Nadi.

Check out the individual resorts for more detail on dining options.

Tonga

Restaurants and chefs come and go so it is difficult to provide a totally accurate up-to-date guide to dining out but we’ll try! Here’s a thumbnail guide to some establishments, thanks to Canadian travel author David Stanley who has a keen eye and a sharp palate.

Nuku’alofa:

Akiko’s Restaurant in the basement of the Catholic basilica on Taufa’ahau Road – a budget standby with a good lunch special (no alcohol served). For Chinese cuisine, Kimiko Restaurant on Vuna Road (one of the few places open on Sunday – try the wonton) or the attractive Fakalato Chinese Restaurant above a supermarket on Wellington Road – medium-priced Cantonese dishes (while there check out the Italian ice-cream place on the nearby corner of Taufa’ahau Road). Lily’s Chinese Restaurant (opposite the fish market at Faua Jetty) has good seafood.For more upmarket options: Also for seafood, Davina’s Restaurant and the Waterfront Café (opposite Faua Jetty) and Davina’s also has great steaks. The Billfish Bar & Restaurant is also known for seafood. For tasty pasta and pizza, Pizzeria Little Italy west, on the waterfront and for an occasion or treat, the Seaview Restaurant offers the finest dining in town. It’s located at Seaview Lodge (Vuna Road, west of the Royal Palace). German chefs, Lothar and Martina, ensure both food and atmosphere are excellent. Open for dinner weekdays only, reserving a table is recommended (23 709). Vava’u:

While the Bounty Bar is more of a drinking spot, they serve five types of burgers. Good cafes include Ifo Ifo Bar & Café, Pua Tale Fusi Restaurant & Garden Café (known as ‘Pua’ by the locals), Lighthouse Café and Ana’s Waterfront Café. Other restaurants worth trying – The Dancing Rooster (on the water opposite the prominent Catholic church), the Mermaid Bar & Grill (the raw fish straight off the dock a specialty – T$8.50) and the Ocean Breeze Restaurant for the best upmarket option (lobster and fish curry, steak, lamb, chicken priced from T$20-32). Open for lunch and dinner, reservations recommended (Ph 70 852).

Samoa

Apart from the excellent resort restaurants, there is a variety of cuisine (Chinese, Japanese, Italian, European and Samoan) to choose from in Apia’s cafes, snack bars and restaurants. Here’s a quick overview:

• Apula Heights Restaurant – good steak, lobsters with a view from the lower slopes of Mt Vaea
• Cam’s Food Bar – good spot for a Samoan style lunch - the oka (raw fish) is good value.
• Cappuccino Vineyards – trendy Internet café that serves sashimi, oysters, pastries, coffee and American style burgers
• Chris & Barbara’s Rainforest Café & Restaurant – wood shavings on the floor and potted palms (open weekdays breakfast, lunch and dinner till late)
• Giordano’s Pizzeria & Garden Café – excellent pizza/pasta with salad – al fresco and candlelit courtyard ambience and open on Sunday
• Le Moana Café – for a coffee and medium priced meals/snacks
• Le Tamarina Restaurant – fine dining at Aggie Grey’s Hotel – a la carte lunch and dinner
• Pinati’s – no sign, no menu, lots of locals – limited choices, large servings, cheap price.
• Sail’s Restaurant & Bar – terrace dining with harbour views with fine dining (seafood, steak, pasta, sashimi)
• Skippy’s – if you want a hit of fish & chips or a burger
• Treasure Garden Restaurant – inexpensive and substantial Chinese meals
• Parenzo’s Restaurant is a delightful little Italian place at Siufaga Beach Resort on Savai’i.

The Cook Islands

Rarotonga is a small place - it takes 45 minutes to get around the whole island - and there are restaurants dotted all around. No doubt your resort cuisine will be fresh, well prepared and rewarding, but do try to get out to another resort restaurant and to some of the independent eateries on offer.

And please, do try one Island Night, for both the food and the entertainment. Some of the restaurants to keep in mind away from the resorts are The Flame Tree, Sails, Windjammer, Portofino and Trader Jack’s. On Aitutaki, your resort dining will also be good but a couple of outside options are the Samade Bar (Island Night Tuesdays) and the superb Café Tupuna. Your chef and host is Tupuna - she is a terrific cook with a flair for presentation and the atmosphere is certainly ‘island’ with a white sand floor and visiting cats.

email us if you’d like more detailed information or sample menus.

New Caledonia

Bon appetite and vive la difference! We won’t go into individual restaurants here as there are 130 of them to choose from. It’s French, it’s tropical, it’s superb. Just take a wander, browse the menus and check out the atmosphere whether it be for coffee, breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner or a late snack.

Look for locals and laughter, and enjoy!

Australia

Fine Australian cuisine combines fresh local produce with culinary expertise. It’s hard to say what ‘Australian’ cuisine is - being a multicultural nation and having Asian, Mediterranean and other global influences don’t be surprised to find a hint of Italin with a dash of Creole.

Rather than detail the various resort restaurants here, rest assured you won’t be disappointed. For a resort to prosper, it has to reward the taste buds so you will find innovative menus that change regularly.