Oasis Poolside Bar and Grill — Restaurant in Efate

While many find island nights—common across Pasifikan islands—a bit cheesy, they can be good opportunities to hear local music, see traditional forms of dress and watch Kustom dances. Performance groups, like the Fatuana Matua string band and cultural group, get paid to essentially pass down culture to the children they bring along with them. This helps to keep Melanesian culture alive for future generations and creates pride in having Ni-Vanuatu heritage.

The Melanesian night (3500VT) at the Oasis Poolside Bar and Grill represents great value for money with more than two hours of music and entertainment alongside a generously proportioned meat-dominated buffet. There are two staffed hot buffet stations. The first is a carvery, serving thin slices of well-charred brisket, roast chicken, rack of pork, pork crackling, great sticky-sweet pork ribs, rolled pork loin, and pork belly. The grill station serves up skewers running from squid, to mixed meats and vegetables. There are also sauces here, in case you find the meats a fraction dry. Sadly there is only one Ni-Van dish, tuluk, that’s not quite as good as the versions I’ve eaten from roadside stalls and the Lenakel mamas’ market on Tanna. Three salads, roast vegetables and some other starches sit on one side, while trays of dainty coconut-based cakes sit on the other.

Cocktails here are decent, with the southern punch (1200VT) making local 83 Islands white rum and Southern Comfort into a fruity sunrise. The twisted pink (1200VT) was slightly sweeter and simpler combining Malibu with fresh grapefruit juice and cranberry juice. It’s good to get a bit loose and imbibe as, alongside really compelling music, the show follows the usual island night format with audience participation across (weak) kava ceremonies...

I visited a BBQ grill and dance show night, and I was more than happy to be part of it. The food was amazing—a great mix of meats, fish, veggies, and some sweets too. The performance by a local family group was super cool. They sang, played instruments, shared their culture, taught us some dance moves, and even gave us time for photos. The kids who danced were so cool and playful—it made the show even more fun and heartwarming. I’m truly grateful I got...

You definitely should eat and see the Sunday bistro. Great food, fantastic staff and brilliant Vanuatu music and dancing which...