anexpatabroad

“What happens in the tiki hut, stays in the tiki hut.” Unknown

There’s a fabulous restaurant tucked away at the bottom of Al Bandar marina at Raha Beach. A striking wooden building previously known as Ornina has been rebranded as Pacifico TIKI Dining &  Lounge and this venue has so much to offer in a fabulous waterfront location.

Tasty tiki cocktails and mocktails, a surprisingly extensive menu with many delicious options from steaks to pizzas, healthy options and seafood and some of the most courteous service I have ever received.

So what’s changed? Obviously the location and decor is still the same with some additional Polynesian style carvings to set the tiki vibe. The outdoor terrace, perfect for watching the sunset and alfresco dining now has much more seating, with low level chairs and tables and the best bit, an outdoor tiki bar.

The menu is less Polynesian feast and more a selection of international dishes, there’s even snails for those escargot lovers among us. We started with some pleasure of the islands tiki cocktails, rude not too really, not only did they taste delectable but these rum-based mixed drinks looked good too, served in quirky ceramic tiki mugs of all sizes and colours. The drinks menu is sizeable with every type of cocktail creation you can imagine with some equally tasty mocktails too, as sampled by the eldest who was the designated driver for the evening.

The food choices were considerable, our trusty server Danylo who recommended our drinks, was back with his good advice and the menfolk selected The Original Tiki Platter that was absolutely huge. Chimichurri shrimps, crabmeat rangoon, wagyu beef and chicken skewers, smoked salmon nori, beef bacon wrapped dates and mini gourmet burgers, so much food and not much left by the end! I had a tomato soup with fresh basil and parmesan, simple but highly pleasant, in fact probably one of the best I’ve ever eaten!

My main course choice of Burrata cheese caprese was unfortunately not available so Danylo suggested the healthy white organic quinoa and kale salad with blueberries, avocado, walnuts, crumbled feta and a coconut cream dressing which was very nice, he even gave me a dish of extra feta after spying me pick that out first, that’s service for you. The eldest opted for the massive 220g grilled fillet of Australian black Angus beef with mushroom duxelles, potato gratin, honey roasted parsnip puree and béarnaise sauce and the other half devoured the slow oven baked black Angus bbq short rib with chunky carrots and creamy cucumber dill salad, quite the meat feasts and clean plates by the end.

We finished off with frozen peanut butter parfait with chocolate mousse and toffee sauce to share, which was amazing! Again another top recommendation from the most helpful and attentive Danylo.

To be honest my expectations of the evening were pretty low as although I’ve always loved the location and ambiance at Ornina, the food was somewhat underwhelming but I’m pleased to report the food we sampled at Pacifico TIKI was really impressive.  So if you are looking for a good spot to sit and sip cocktails with views across the water to Yas Island, fancy a well-cooked steak or even a pizza, maybe even a veggie salad and a scrummy dessert or just want to smoke shisha with friends, Pacifico Tiki has got you covered. My only regret is that I moved away from Al Bandar too soon, my top tip is get your own dessert as they are too good to share.

Pacifico Tiki Dining and Lounge

Location: Al Bandar Marina, Raha Beach

Telephone: 02 556 6090

Facebook: Pacifico TIKI Dining and Lounge

See the full menu here

Opening hours: Mon – Wed ~ 12pm – 1:30am, Thurs – Fri ~ 12pm – 3:00am and Sat – Sun ~ 12pm – 1:30am

Why limit Happy Hour to only a hour? From 12pm until 7pm, Sunday to Thursday you can enjoy 50% off selected beverages.

Ladies Night is every Monday from 7pm until Midnight. For only AED 55 ladies get a delicious starter platter and unlimited selected beverages.

I was invited to review this restaurant. All the views are my own. Unless otherwise stated all photos on this page copyright Jo Brett 2015. All rights reserved. Photos 1 & 2 used courtesy of Pacifico Tiki Dining & Lounge.