Cuisine of Yasawa for gourmets. Places for dinner - best restaurants

Yasawa Island does not offer its guests a large number of restaurants, most of the catering establishments are located on the territory of hotels and resorts. But you can get into them, even if you do not live here. Many hotels are very loyal to the guests. You must first call the desired institution and find out whether it is possible to reserve a table. Most restaurants offer European and Fijian cuisine, and some resorts offer Indian and Chinese dishes.

Talking about restaurants, it is important to mention Navutu Stars Resort, which is located in the resort of the same name on Yanggeta island. It offers fine Italian and Mediterranean cuisine, lobster, crab, local tuna and blue Marlin, as well as Fijian dishes made of vegetables grown on the island. Guests can relax on the outdoor terrace with magnificent views of the ocean. A restaurant Talei, located on Naviti Island, is considered to be the best restaurant in the archipelago.

The restaurant, which is located at the Yasawa Island Resort, is a must-visit the place on Yasawa. In addition to excellent European and local cuisine, the resort offers a romantic setting and a terrace with excellent views. In the resort, you will also find a bar with an extensive cocktail list, and many drinks you can try only here. The small population of the Yasawa archipelago is reflected in culinary diversity. Here you will not find a wide variety of products and cooking methods. Copyright www.orangesmile.com

Traditional cuisine definitely deserves your attention. Despite the fact that the diet and the choice of products from the locals are not too diverse, dishes prepared according to Fijian recipes are worth trying by all means. Actually, Yasawa is a small island, and there are no large settlements. The entire population of the island is a few small villages on the coast. Traditional cuisine can be tasted in the villages if you go there on a tour.

Most likely, you will be offered to taste traditional dishes of baked or stewed meat and seafood, with a side dish of vegetables, fried or baked tapioca with coconut milk and, of course, Kava. The last one is quite popular here. Kava is a beverage or extract that is made from Piper methysticum, a plant native to the western Pacific islands. The name "kava" comes from the Polynesian word "awa," which means bitter. The uniqueness of this tasting is not only in the dishes themselves but also in the rituals that accompany them. It will be interesting to watch how the food is cooked in the earthen oven lovo. Meat, fish, poultry and vegetables are also baked in this oven. Dishes made in the oven are also called lovo and have a peculiar taste. Be sure to try the baked food and observe the process of its preparation if possible.

The natives mainly use vegetables, breadfruit, fish and seafood, coconut, traditional roots such as yams, cassava and taro in cooking. Meat is used less often here and it is usually goat or lamb. Yasawa dishes have become quite spicy under the influence of pan-Asian cuisine. Traditional dishes include marinated caconda fish, cassava and an unusual dessert of baked tapioca with coconut milk. Only here you can taste the traditional delicacy of marine palolo worms and unusual for Europeans palusami –colocasia leaves cooked in coconut milk.

Breadfruit is widely used in cooking. And, of course, you need to try different fish and seafood dishes on Yasawa. They are caught right here in the ocean. As a rule, the catch of local fishermen immediately gets to the kitchens of restaurants, so all the seafood is fresh here. In addition, locals masterfully cook seafood. Be sure to order fish or crabs cooked over charcoal. Many dishes, and not only fish, are prepared and served in banana leaves. This method of cooking gives them a special taste and aroma.

If you want to try local drinks, be sure to taste cava or yangon, it is prepared from the root of the same plant and have an effect similar to the effect of the tranquillizer. Intoxication does not occur, but the person behaves like a drunk one. You should pay tribute to the local tea and coffee, and, of course, natural fresh juices. It should be noted that imported drinks here are expensive, so the local population and tourists often prefer alcohol made on the Islands.

The selection of locally produced alcoholic beverages is also decent here. There is fairly high-quality wine, especially the valued red Meridian Moselle and Savannah Moselle. Good local beer is Carlton and Fiji Bitter, besides it is much cheaper than imported. Those who prefer stronger drinks should try Bounty Fiji Golden Rum or vodka Cossack. The Fiji gin and whisky Old Whisky Club are very high-quality products.