We only had two nights at the Intercontinental Tahiti but it gave us a chance to try two very different but fantastic experiences for dinner.

View other posts in this series:

• Trip Introduction: Summer in a Bora Bora Paradise
• United Polaris SFO Lounge: Is It The Best?
• Quick Hit: Pocket That Airline Meal Voucher for Later
• Review: United Airlines 787-9 Polaris Business Class SFO-PPT
• Review: Boutique Kon Tiki Tahiti
• Air Moana: An Enjoyable But Brief Experience
• St. Regis Bora Bora Review: A Beautiful Hard Product
• St. Regis Bora Bora Review: Paradise with Service Flaws
• Delicious Breakfast and Lunch at St. Regis Bora Bora
• St. Regis Bora Bora: Unforgettable Gourmet Dinners in Paradise
• La Villa Mahana: A Special Treat in Bora Bora
• Saint James Bora Bora Review – Great Food, Slow Service
• Fabulous Activities and Amenities at the St. Regis Bora Bora
• Kids at St. Regis Bora Bora: A Good Idea?
• Bora Bora Snorkeling: Loving the Big 5 on the Loveboat
• Perfect for Younger Kids: Underwater Scooter in Bora Bora
• Tupuna Safari Bora Bora: An Awesome Off-Roading Adventure
• Air Tahiti: The Popular Way to Explore French Polynesia
• Intercontinental Tahiti Review: One of the Best Resorts on the Island
• Delightful Dining at the Intercontinental Tahiti
• Fabulous Dinners Await at the Intercontinental Tahiti (this post)
• Activities and Relaxation at the Intercontinental Tahiti
• Tahiti with Kids: Basking in Island Love
• Air Tahiti Nui Lounge Review: Can Be Too Crowded
• Comfort in the Sky: Air France A350-900 Business Class PPT-LAX

If you’re looking to eat dinner at the Intercontinental Tahiti, the decision will boil down to a few different options:

• Te Tiare, the hotel’s buffet restaurant
• Le Lotus, the fancier restaurant
• Huriama, which we just discussed in the prior installment where we ate lunch

They do also host a couple of dinner performances at Te Tiare (one on Wednesdays and one on Fridays).

Dinner Show at Te Tiare (Te U’I Tapairu)

We pre-registered for the Te U’I Tapairu dinner show via their website. This show takes place every Friday from 6:30PM to 9:30PM, with the performance starting at 8PM. There might be some seasonal difference to the timing as the performance didn’t start until 8:30PM when we were there over the summer.

Technically, hotel guests do not need to register in advance, but there’s not any issue if you do make a reservation. Given how large the venue is, I think it’s unlikely they will sell out but I always feel it’s best not to leave things up to chance.

If you’ve done a luau in Hawaii, the flow of the evening will feel very familiar. Perhaps one of the larger differences is that you can show up to dinner at any time after dinner starts. Getting there right away could mean 1.5-2 hours of eating before the performance, which can feel drawn out. The pacing works a bit better if you arrive 30-60 minutes prior to the start of the performance.

Just as what happened at breakfast, I received a card thanking me for my Ambassador Platinum status. There wasn’t any noticeable difference in service level and we didn’t receive anything special for having the card. It’s just there for others to see, I guess.

Anyways, we sat down at our table, which was pretty close to the stage.

Menu

Since this dinner was in a buffet format, there was no food menu. We did receive a drink menu though.

We started out with some fresh juice for the kids (1,760 XPF or ~$17 US).

I had the Trader Vic’s Maitai. It is a strong drink so it somewhat makes up for the price of the drink (2,950 XPF or ~$28 US).

Jenn ordered the Pao’a, which is tequila mixed with a mixture of juices. As with my drink, this one was also strong (2,400 XPF or ~$23 US).

The food

Simply put, the food was tasty and good quality–not just for being a buffet but in general too. We showed up right at the start because the kids were hungry and couldn’t wait, but that also meant the lines to get food were extremely short. Chefs continued to make more of each item as the night went on, so that kept the food fresh and in stock.

We’ll let the pictures mostly speak for themselves.

Char enjoyed her dipped waffle stick with plenty of delicious chocolate.

Meanwhile, Alex got a fresh crepe with some chocolate drizzled on top.

The performance

As I mentioned earlier, if you’ve been to a luau in Hawaii, this will feel pretty familiar. There will be group performances, solo performances, and separate dances with just the men and women. The performers also will change outfits a few times during the show.

Perhaps one of the most noticeable differences from the luaus we’ve been to in Hawaii is that in Hawaii, they will move the show indoors if there’s any evidence of rain that day. But this performance? They still did it on a wet floor. Unfortunately, some performers did fall down, including one that looked like a nasty spill. But props to them for sticking with it.

Char liked watching the ladies perform.

Meanwhile, Alex found the men’s performance more up his alley.

The show also ended with a kid(!) doing the fire dance show. They start performers off at a young age, as he had to be in the 10-12 age range. And doing it on a wet floor just added to the skill displayed.

We’ve held that our favorite luau in Hawaii was the one we had at the Andaz Maui. That was mostly because of the food. We’d still say the food there is better than what we had here, but the performance is comparable. But note the major difference: the food is so much cheaper at the Intercontinental Tahiti. An adult here in Tahiti would cost almost a third of the price we paid in Hawaii. That’s an insanely lower price and thus we prefer the experience here when considering the price.

Le Lotus, specialty dining at the Intercontinental Tahiti

The Le Lotus restaurant is located near the pool. This is the fancy restaurant at the Intercontinental Tahiti, and smart casual clothes are required. It’s more of a gastronomic experience and offers a nice, romantic atmosphere. Still, kids are welcome here. The hours for the restaurant are as follows:

• Lunch service from noon to 2PM
• Dinner service from 6PM to 9:30PM

We made a reservation for 6PM, but the restaurant was fairly empty during our visit. Still, we didn’t want to leave it up to chance.

The board lights up quite a bit in the evening. Not the best for taking pictures but it helps when reading the menu.

The kids enjoyed just hanging out right inside the entrance, a little bittersweet that it was the last dinner at the Intercontinental Tahiti and of our whole trip.

The decor inside the restaurant is pretty simple. There are plenty of crates and barrels all over to give off a more rustic feel.

The restaurant is up on stilts over the water. You’ll hear the waves as you dine but it’s hard to see any fish in the water.

The host directed us to our table for the evening and we settled in.

A brief note about bugs

You’re in an outdoor restaurant, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that you’re going to see bugs out and about. We found that the bugs stuck very close to the light, so if you have an aversion to bugs, you’ll want to move your dishes and utensils away from the light. It’s probably also a good idea to check out your water glass before drinking, if you know what I mean.

At this point in our trip, it didn’t bother us much, but I offer it up as more of a heads up to others, especially if it’s the first stop on your journey and you’re not yet initiated.

The menu

The host handed us some menus for the adults (a drink menu and the regular menu). The restaurant also has a kids menu but it’s not printed. From what I understand, these are the following choices for children:

• Main course: beef, poultry, or fish
• Side dish: fries, rice, or pasta
• Choice of drink (not sure all options but juice is included)
• Dessert: ice cream (chocolate or vanilla) or sorbet (mango, raspberry, lemon, or dragon fruit)

The price for the set kids meal was 3,800 XPF (~$36 US).

Drinks

To drink, I ordered the To’ere, which is a mixed drink of tequila, juice, and puree. Very tasty and it went down easily. Fans of reposado tequila will rejoice.

One kid ordered some pineapple juice and the other ordered mango juice, which were both included as part of their kids meal.

The food

To start, we each received an amuse bouche. Unfortunately, no one described what they were. I also don’t have notes on the flavor profiles, so you can just admire the picture (whoops).

Also at the start of the meal was some bread. We received both white and nut bread. Rather than provide butter, they instead gave vanilla oil and ginger oil. The vanilla oil is on the sweeter side while the ginger oil has a little bit of a kick at the end.

The menu setup is a little odd. You have to choose which courses you want, and then choose your dishes within there. Jenn ordered an appetizer and a main, while I ordered a main and a dessert.

Jenn’s appetizer came out quickly, which was the seared squid with bell peppers and an anchovy sauce. It’s light and refreshing. You can really taste the peeled bell pepper in this dish.

Around this time, the kids meals also arrived. Alex chose the poultry (chicken) with a side of pasta. You can add as much or as little of the tomato paste as you want.

Char went with the chicken and rice, her standard dish. Oddly enough, this one also came with tomato paste.

My main was the fresh catch of the day (grouper). It sat on a delicious yellow curry sauce. The fish was cooked to perfection, nice and oily. The vegetables and fried balls added some much needed texture to make it complete.

Jenn ordered the mahi-mahi. She’s not normally a big mahi-mahi fan, but this one actually was one of the best versions we’ve had. It could be because it’s seared rather than fully cooked, as we find mahi-mahi can usually be too tough. It came with what we can only describe as a log–a mixture of fish and starch. It’s good, and plenty crispy on the top. Some scallops help round out the dish.

For dessert, the kids both chose some sorbet. Each order comes with two scoops, such as this combination of mango and raspberry.

Or this combination of lemon and raspberry.

For my dessert, I went with the lemon with citrus shards. This was absolutely fantastic and a very welcome end to the experience. If you’re a fan of lemon and citrus, this is a heavenly choice. Jenn immediately regretted not choosing her own dessert instead of an appetizer. There is a great combination of textures with this dish. The blood orange sorbet comes with a hint of olive oil and is also strong in citrus flavor. We found this to be the best course and an absolute must.

We enjoyed our meal at Le Lotus. While not quite as sophisticated as Lagoon Restaurant at the St. Regis Bora Bora, this isn’t too shabby itself. If staying at the Intercontinental Tahiti again, we wouldn’t mind returning to Le Lotus to try out more combinations.

Stay tuned for the next installment where we will discuss the activities available at the Intercontinental Tahiti.