#74501 - 07/06/08 11:12 AM
Moorea Restaurants, Roulottes and Groceries
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Daydreamin
Member
Registered: 01/24/08
Posts: 98
Loc: california
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Hi Everyone, I have to make mention of our food experiences during our recent trip to Moorea. The first morning we stopped by the well stocked Champion market, near the ferry docks, to buy bottled water and snacks. Best prices for Monoi oil that we saw anywhere. We also found a great mini food market, located directly off the main road, near Caramelines, in Maharepa. Get there by 7:30 am for the most delectable take-out freshly baked French pastries and baguettes (look near the registers), you can pick up other breakfast items here too. They also sell specialty pastries and breakfast mini quiches on Sunday morning. Sunday hours are 6am to 8:30am (reconfirm) and the goodies are often gone by 7am. Lots of the local folks stop here daily for breakfast. Let me warn you about meal times as we kept messing up. For the best selection in breakfast cafes' menus, be there by 8a.m. The first morning we drove to Caramelines arriving at 8a.m. anticipating eating one of their famous coconut croissants. The impatient waitress told us tht they were already sold out, as were most other croissant varieties. She had a "take it or leave" attitude with only 3 tables occupied. We looked elsewhere for breakfast the next day and we found the mini market mentioned above.
We patronized local restaurants for lunches and dinners. The roulottes by the ferry dock, Cooks Bay and Tiki Village sell great roasted chicken for about 1200XPF each, add potatoes for 300XPF more. We discovered that the lunch chickens often sell out by 12:30, and in the evenings around 6p.m. As suggested, bring a collasible cooler so you can stash leftovers for the next lunch, just add a fresh baguette. We also enjoyed Allo Pizza, the Restaurant Irene with their welcoming staff - try the Polynesian style octopus, the Blue Pineapple for an amazing view of Cook's Bay and Aito Restaurant. We stopped in Aito's one afternoon while sightseeing. I made reservations for the evening and met the owner. He encouraged me to chose a table for our dinner which I did. We had the most delicious dinners that night at a table on an overwater terrace. We listened to a couple musicians singing 60's, 70's oldies and playing on a lap steel guitar. An assortment of tropical fish swam below us, including sting rays, eels and puffer fish. I ordered meka in sea urchin cream sauce, my husband had fresh Corsican style red tuna, my daughter enjoyed flambeed shrimp and my son had Corsician steak. What made this meal exceptional was not only the food quality and atmosphere, but our friendly waiter who was attending at least 10 tables. He was amazing in his handling of the orders and attention to customer needs. The owner strolled around greeting everyone and personally delivered the prepared dishes to newlywed couples to wish them well. For desert, try their decadently rich ice creams or triple chocolate layer cake.
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#74575 - 07/08/08 10:48 PM
Re: Moorea Restaurants, Roulottes and Groceries
[Re: Daydreamin]
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BarbiJKM
Supreme Advisor
Registered: 02/14/07
Posts: 6042
Loc: Mesa, AZ
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Great review, thanks for sharing!
The chicken roulottes, for the best and most dependable service, request a reservation for your order either the morning of, or the day before, you chicken rotisserie pickup. You can easily stop by at lunch time to place a chicken order for dinner pickup. There are 3 of them, located (1)near Are Supermarche, (2)near the road to Temae Beach, and also (3)the infamous "chickenman" near Petit Village (under new ownership but still as good). Best bargain on Moorea: 1200 CPF for a whole chicken, enough for dinner and next day's picnic lunch! If you pick up the local "Moorea Guide" from the airport or your hotel, the phone numbers of all of them will be in there.
The band you saw at Aito is Ron Falconer and his two buddies, definitely a must-see! He's been playing on Moorea for years, local music plus 60's and 70's music, on his autoharp. He also plays at Les Tipaniers every other Saturday night, for folks on that side of the island. (Also check out his book, which I THINK is called "Together Alone," on amazon.com!) An amazing story!
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#74576 - 07/08/08 10:55 PM
Re: Moorea Restaurants, Roulottes and Groceries
[Re: BarbiJKM]
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BarbiJKM
Supreme Advisor
Registered: 02/14/07
Posts: 6042
Loc: Mesa, AZ
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P.S. Avoid the Champion/Toa supermarket on Tuesdays, when its inventory for fresh fruits, vegetables, and meat is low! Are Supermarche in Pao Pao has better meat selections, if you are looking for something to cook from your bungalow kitchen. At least that's the state of things this past week on Moorea!
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#75099 - 07/24/08 03:41 PM
Re: Moorea Restaurants, Roulottes and Groceries
[Re: BarbiJKM]
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trip1
Member
Registered: 08/05/07
Posts: 94
Loc: Alexandria, VA, 22304
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Thank you so much!
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#75111 - 07/25/08 07:35 AM
Re: Moorea Restaurants, Roulottes and Groceries
[Re: trip1]
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Jake
Member
Registered: 08/29/03
Posts: 311
Loc: Phoenix AZ
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We'll have a day to kill in Tahiti prior to flying to Huahine and are considering taking the Ferry to Moorea for the day. When are the roulottes by the ferry dock open?
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#75128 - 07/26/08 12:53 AM
Re: Moorea Restaurants, Roulottes and Groceries
[Re: Jake]
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BarbiJKM
Supreme Advisor
Registered: 02/14/07
Posts: 6042
Loc: Mesa, AZ
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If you are talking about the roulettes in Papeete near the ferry dock there, they start opening about sunset and stay open between midnight and 1 a.m., depending on traffic and day of the week. There are no roulottes in Moorea near the ferry dock there.
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#75133 - 07/26/08 07:12 AM
Re: Moorea Restaurants, Roulottes and Groceries
[Re: BarbiJKM]
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Jake
Member
Registered: 08/29/03
Posts: 311
Loc: Phoenix AZ
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Barbi- Thanks for the info. I was asking about the Moorea ferry dock.
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#75135 - 07/26/08 01:12 PM
Re: Moorea Restaurants, Roulottes and Groceries
[Re: Jake]
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BarbiJKM
Supreme Advisor
Registered: 02/14/07
Posts: 6042
Loc: Mesa, AZ
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Jake,
There IS a fairly decent snack bar at the Moorea ferry dock, and also a small magasin (general store) directly across the street with basic snacks and supplies. Also, the Champion/Toa supermarket is about 1/4 mile down the road, to your left (with your back to the sea).
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#75158 - 07/27/08 07:56 AM
Re: Moorea Restaurants, Roulottes and Groceries
[Re: BarbiJKM]
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Jake
Member
Registered: 08/29/03
Posts: 311
Loc: Phoenix AZ
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Barbi,
Thanks for that info. We've got several hours after arrival at Faaa til we can check into the hotel on 8/21 so we'll probably take the ferry over to Moorea for most of the day.
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