I turned up on a Tuesday evening at 5.30pm with enough time to catch the tail end of happy hour for a glass of Roaring Meg Otago pinot noir.
The sunset was developing brilliantly. I was in for a treat!
A short walk through Manuia Beach Resort in Arorangi, the stylish On the Beach (OTB) Restaurant & Bar is perfectly situated for a Rarotongan-style dinner.
The restaurant was almost full, so I choose to be seated outside.
Surveying the expansive menu, which is described as contemporary island style, I kicked off with grilled and chilled Ratatouille with salsa Verde, garlic bruschetta and avocado oil. A great start! I was enjoying the pinot noir so I stuck with that throughout dinner.
For main course, the menu offered braised duck leg, rukau & chèvre tart, grilled prime beef, sautéed tiger prawns (flambéed), grilled mahi mahi and seared duo of game fish, but I opted for the lamb on a bed of eggplant special off the black board. Tasty!
After main course, I had some room left so I thought I’d test-drive a dessert; the Vacherin with tropical sorbets, fruit compote, local vanilla sauce anglaise was delightfully sweet and tart; the wonderful flavours lingered.
To top off my OTB experience I savoured the love of a Hennessey VSOP.
And there we have it: a thoroughly enjoyable dinner at OTB, blessed by a brilliant sunset, cheery staff and good all round service!
Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, OTB is definitely one of the coolest places on Rarotonga to eat and drink
