Dining
A chef in the house and a bar that opens when you want it: nothing about the week is decided before you arrive.
However You Want to Eat
There is no schedule for meals to commit to before you come. Takali is your house for the week and meals are arranged the way they would be at home: you say what you feel like, and when, the night before. Three meals a day with canapés and afternoon tea, or dinner only, or a packed lunch for the boat and nothing else. If you would rather eat out one evening, or feel like a bonfire on the beach with s’mores and a guitar trio singing Don Ho hits, just tell us!
- BreakfastContinental and à la carte, whenever people surface
- LunchAt the table, by the pool, or packed for the boat
- AfternoonTea and something out of the oven
- SunsetCanapés, if you want them
- DinnerÀ la carte, a degustation, a lovo, or a barbecue on the sand
- Any dietVegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, dairy-free and allergies are routine. Tell us in advance and it is simply how the week is cooked.
The Chef
Ben, Our Consultant Chef
Ben has cooked in Fiji for more than twenty years. He opened The Pearl South Pacific in 2004 and ran its kitchens for a decade: four restaurants, a conference centre, a golf clubhouse and 210 rooms. Before Fiji it was Hyatt in Perth and on the Gold Coast, Raes on Wategos in Byron Bay, and the opening crew of the Crystal Serenity.
A Lovo, a Kava Ceremony and a Meke
Ask, and the team will put on a lovo: a feast cooked in the ground over hot stones. Whole fish, pork, dalo and palusami come out of the pit wrapped in banana leaf. A kava ceremony usually opens the evening, and a meke follows the plates, singers and dancers on the lawn.
- LovoCooked in the ground over hot stones, usually one night of a week’s stay
- KavaThe ceremony that opens the evening
- MekeSinging and dancing on the lawn after dinner
- OccasionsBirthdays sung by local musicians over champagne, marshmallows on a beach bonfire. Tell us what we are marking.
Where You Eat
The outdoor table seats sixteen and turns in the middle, so a full house can pass a dish without anyone standing up. It sits under thatch between the pool and the bar.
- The round tableSixteen under thatch, with a turning centre
- InsideThe long table viewing Ben doing his magic in the kitchen
- On the sandA table carried down to the beach when you want one
- Anywhere elseBy the pool, in the bale after dark, or in your own suite
The Bar
A full-service bar for cocktails, spirits, beer and wine, open whenever you want it rather than at set hours. Tukini’s cocktails come up in the reviews almost as often as the food does.
- OpenWhenever you want it
- StockedSpirits, wine and beer, plus anything you ask us to get in before you arrive
- IncludedNon-alcoholic drinks are part of the rate
“We felt like we were eating at a world class restaurant each breakfast lunch and dinner.”
Jason0027 · Tripadvisor · November 2014
Tell us how you like to eat.
Send us your dates and numbers, and anything the kitchen should know. Ben takes it from there.