The Pearl Pretense

Tuna Sashimi at the Huahine Yacht Club ...

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... We had expected an appetizer-sized serving, but this was way larger than that. We struggled to finish it before the mains came out, and it was way too much of a good thing - the first few pieces were great, but eating that much sashimi quickly became monotonous.

Chinese-Style Duck ...

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... While it vaguely tasted like bad Chinese roast duck, drenching it in soy sauce really killed the dish, overpowering the duck, and also making the skin soggy. We had wanted the curried octopus originally, but switched to duck when we were told it wasn't available.

Crumbed Mahi Mahi w/ Grated Spicy Coconut ...

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... We ordered way too much food tonight, but didn't know the portions would be so massive. The fish tasted alright, but the sauce was unappetizingly chunky, though we weren't sure if that was the intent, or if the sauce had simply broken. The fish was of good quality and nicely cooked, but the breading was soggy after being drowned in so much sauce.

Big Coconuts ...

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... After drinking our coconuts, are waitress offered to hack it up so that we could eat the fresh coconut flesh within. M

French Polynesian Ambiance ...

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... funny that on the TV screen, was footage of a fish aquarium.

A Ton of Food ...

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... Since it's offseason in French Polynesia, it's actually quite difficult getting confirmation for tours on a small island like Huahine. Despite attempting to make a booking several weeks ago, we didn't get confirmation until early this morning that we had the minimum four people required to make it a go. The other guests were a family from France with a young daughter, which meant that we had a crap load of food to choose from, as well as a ton of rum punch and Hinano beer to drink! The chicken was great, the fried rice a nice touch, and the papaya sprinkled with freshly shredded coconut was the perfect dessert. Food was definitely better on Hiro's Tour in Moorea, but having just five people on a tour here was unbeatable.

White Tuna in Vanilla Sauce at Chez Tara ...

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... Fish with vanilla sauce seems to be one of the most popular dishes in French Polynesia, and though the combination might seem odd, since vanilla is typically associated with desserts, it makes for a wonderfully tasty accompaniment. Today's vanilla sauce was one of the best we had, very rich and creamy, much thicker than some of the thinner sauces elsewhere.

Prawns in Coconut Curry ...

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... The restaurant is known for its crab in ginger sauce, but they did not have any today. No matter, as these prawns were a more than adequate substitute - another rich and creamy sauce, with just a hint of curry, that paired perfectly with rice. It was almost a bit of good ol' Asian home cooking!

Melts Faster Than You Can Eat It ...

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... it's simple physics - ice cream does not last long on a 35-degree high-humidity day!

Tuna Burger at the Huahine Yacht Club ...

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... Simple but good, and much better than our meal here on our first night in Huahine. We actually didn't come back here because we were impressed with the food the first time (because we weren't), but because it was convenient - nothing else was open for an early dinner!

Chinese-Style Poisson Cru ...

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... A rather substantial portion, it was a bit much both in terms of quantity and flavour. After a while, you actually get tired of eating this dish, and it seemed that what made this "Chinese-style" was some soy sauce and sesame seeds.