Tuoro Licensed Café
Great Food, Great Views, Great Service
High on the hill opposite Black Rock on the way down to
the sunset side of Rarotonga is Tuoro Cafe. When you are
looking for lunch during the week or a lunch with great
music on a Sunday then this is the place to be.
Offering a range of food from Tapas to Boutique Lunch dishes
to a great dessert platter there is
something for everyone.
Having read the menu there was
something from each of the tapas
platters we liked so we talked nicely
to Michelle and she was happy for
us to pick and mix. Then she tells
us that anyone can pick and mix
and that is one of the great ideas at
Tuoro, you can mix things up.
We opted for 3 from the seafood
selection and a couple from the rest,
including the vegetarian risotto balls,
more about them later.
Tuoro is owned and operated by Michelle and her husband
Andy. They also operate Black Rock Villas an adjacent Boutique
accommodation consisting of 2 villas & a studio
The tapas arrived on a wooden platter together with a glass of
the locally brewed Rarotongan lager.
To start I went for what was obviously going to be the least
tastiest being the vegetarian risotto ball. Well you can be wrong
occasionally I suppose, they ended up as the pick of the day for
flavour and showing just what can be made with veges.
The prawn bruschetta had a beautiful slightly spicy pesto with
2 perfectly cooked prawns with a drizzle of Paw Paw Salsa.
Next was the Thai fish cakes complemented with a cucumber
dipping relish.
The view from Tuoro must be one of the best views in
Rarotonga. You can see Black Rock and out into the deep blue
Pacific. If you happen to be there when a flight is due in, you
can virtually see into the plane as it comes in to land at the
nearby airport. During the whale watching season it is a great
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place to sit and while away a few hours eating, having the odd
drink and looking for the whales.
Anyway back to the food. The last two tapas were the San Choy
Bau - a diced Chinese BBQ chicken and spicy chopped up
veges in a lettuce cup. The last was the always fantastic Coconut
Panko fish morsels, why they were
called morsels who knows but they
were far from it. The fish was mahi
mahi and that combined with the
crispy panko and coconut crumb was
delightful. Makes the usual crumbed
fish we tend to eat a bit sad.
The biggest surprise was the
vegetarian risotto balls. They were
just so fresh and so unlike veges they
hit the spot. We did ask what
was in them and why the
great taste, but it remains a
secret to Michelle and Chef
Paul Dwane.
To finish off we had a dessert
platter which had 4 mini
desserts - coconut panacotta, ice cream, chocolate wontons and
a passionfruit cheesecake. There was enough on the platter for
two so it was a bit of a shock to find that it was meant to be a
platter for one.
Tuoro Café’s excellent reputation continues with the skills and
passion for food of local Chef Paul Dwane who incorporates
the use of local, fresh produce where possible
Sundays are very popular at Tuoro as you can have a great
lunch, enjoy great views and listen to the tunes played by
Kura Happ on guitar, who plays not only locally but has
international experience. Bookings recommended any day but
especially on Sunday. Forget the diets when eating at Tuoro as
the food is just too good to not eat that little bit extra.
Tuoro Licensed Cafe @ Black Rock
Open for lunch from 11am Wednesday, Thursday, Friday
and Sunday (bookings recommended). Ph 21233