Driving past Little Polynesian Restaurant (Little Poly) in Titikaveka, I always wondered the kind of dining experience they offered. So when the opportunity came to dine at this poolside restaurant, no was not an option.

We arrived at Little Poly at around 5.30pm. It offers casual poolside dining in an open-air setting with spectacular views of the Titikaveka lagoon. That’s the first impression we got.

We were booked at a table right in front of the pool, with stunning views of the pool meeting the ocean. The interior is decorated in a traditional Polynesian style, with beautiful artwork and artifacts. Even the jars in which the drinks were served had Polynesian artwork depicted on it.

Tom, our waiter, poured the distilled water for us after settling us down. He gave us a bit of time to soak in the ambience before taking our drink orders. I went for Little Poly Special – a refreshing and healthy blend of seasonal fruits, ginger, garlic, honey, and juice.

The warmly-spicy flavour of ginger infused with honey and juice was a perfect blend. My friend went for the classic Mojito made with white rum, lime, mint, sugar, and soda. The sparkling mint lime drink blended with a perfect portion of white rum was extremely refreshing.

For starters we shared island Style Sashimi. This was a generous portion of fresh tuna sashimi, served with sesame seaweed salad, crispy shallot, Tahitian style sauce, and pickled ginger. The delicately sliced sashimi neatly placed on a bed of salad was fresh, the flavours were well-balanced and a little dip into the sauce plus a zing of wasabi brought joy to our tastebuds.

For mains, award winning head chef Kemen Reddy recommended Wild Turmeric Seafood Sizzler which my friend took and I went for the Char–Grilled Rib Eye Fillet. The Wild Turmeric Seafood Sizzler is a delicious and flavourful dish, made with calamari, prawns, mussels, and local fish in aromatic coconut renga sauce and tomato, pinapi, coriander, and served with steamed rice. The seafood was cooked to perfection and the creamy sauce was oozing with flavour. There was no surprise why this dish was the head chef’s recommendation.

The Char–Grilled Rib Eye Fillet was a perfectly cooked rib eye steak (medium as I ordered) and served with garlic and basil mash, fresh seasonal island vegetables, and red wine jus sauce. They also have mushroom and green peppercorn sauce options. The mash was creamy and delicious and the steak was juicy and flavourful – grey brown outside and a mostly pink inside. The portions were generous too.

The Wild Turmeric Seafood Sizzler is a delicious and flavourful dish. 23073104

For dessert, we were treated to the Raro Tiramisu comprising local vanilla crème, crushed Belgium chocolate and meringue dust and the Chefs Petit Four Selection. The tiramisu was light and creamy, and the petit fours were a delicious assortment of bite-sized treats of all their desserts – Raro Tiramisu, Titikaveka Vanilla Bean Brulee, Rich Dark Chocolate Mud Cake and Little Polynesian Cheese Board. Truly, like Christmas in my mouth!

For dessert, we were treated to the Raro Tiramisu and the Chefs Petit Four Selection. 23073105

Little Polynesian Restaurant is where expectations meet reality, with a wonderful dining experience, delicious food, top notch service, and the ambience that is second to none.