Taitea Brasserie — Restaurant in Faʻaʻā

Taitea Brasserie is the main restaurant in the Hilton Tahiti, and is located near the pool, with a beautiful view of shoreline. Pretty much all the restaurants close to the Hilton are closed on Sundays, so decided to risk going to a hotel restaurant. The views overlooking the pool with the coast in the background is very beautiful. But in terms of the food and service, it wasn't great.

Our main server wasn’t very friendly…it was the first time on the island where we felt that unfriendliness, and I’m really glad this wasn’t the first restaurant that we went to (it would have given us the wrong impression). She asked if we wanted sparkling or still...the European way, but there were other tables with carafes of tap water..it wasn't even offered. Service could be summarized as such: if we asked for it, it was given...but we had to always ask (except for the OK bread which came a bit later).

So I messed up and ordered still, and of course the bottle came already opened...that was 700. We did get some complentary bread (it was OK). I guess you really have to know what you want here, never felt like things were offered (no olive oil or butter, no tap water).

It’s an ecletic menu. We ordered osso bucco (3,500) and Spaghetti with Bolonases sauce (2,900). Very small portions….the osso bucco was a sliced shank…as expected, the veal had a lot of fat and cartilage, so the amount of meat was limited. The sauce was very good…I just wish there was more for the price...probably 5 nuggets of veal. It did come with a side, and we chose frites. It was the best French fries we’ve had since we have been here. Shoestring…fried perfectly. The spaghetti was mediocre…it had meat and extra parmessian cheese. We also ordered their draft beer (Hoa Tea blonde ale) for 950. Definition of blonde beer can be different I guess…the beer was rather hoppy, an ale for sure.

At this point, we knew were going to be still hungry and the restaurant wouldn't be able to sate it, so we retreated into the night, to enjoy the...

We risked going to a hotel restaurant because it was Sunday and everywhere else nearby was closed. Worst mistake ever. The only redeeming factor was that the foie gras dish was not bad, and the complementary bread and butter was also good. We ordered a Margherita pizza and it was the worst pizza I've ever had. It was tasted like a bad microwave cheese pizza that they just threw a stalk of basil in the middle. It definitely was not a Margherita. We also ordered a side of wok vegetables to get our leafy greens in while on vacation and the dish came out basically brown... it was mostly onions (which I don't consider a vegetable?!?) and some bits of eggplant and celery. I assumed it would be something like green beans, brocolli, bok choy, anything green?! And for the pizza to be 2400 and side 900 and to not be on point and tasting excellent is ridiculous. We mentioned to the staff upon paying that the pizza was not great after they asked us how our meal was and there was no offer to comp, which was disappointing as we...

I am surprised at only a 4 rating for this restaurant, as the French menu with a Polynesian flair was absolutely delectable. From the fish soup, the foie gras, beef tartare, deviled eggs, to the rack of lamb and spicy beef dish, desserts and drinks, everything was fresh, cooked and seasoned to perfection. Service was a delight as well, everyone came to the table with a smile, expedient and efficient. Then, we were surprised with an authentic Polynesian show. I tried to talk the fam into room service as we were here just in transit, but I’m glad they didn’t budge and we didn’t miss out on this...