After three days of diving in the amazing waters of Palau, our group had a free day to rest and see the sights on dry land before we went diving again the next day. We realized that we lucked out on the choice of day off, since the weather was very rainy that day. It was perfect for sleeping in. That was a treat because we’d been waking up at 7am during diving days. Not an easy thing to do, particularly because we were on holiday.
Tuna Steak
It was also good to take a break from diving that day because it would have felt just a wee bit miserable to be off on a day of diving with the rain pounding the boat, and the clouds preventing the sun from giving us the best possible visibility underwater.
The people in our group mostly went their own way for the day. After a late breakfast, my friends and I opted to visit some dive shops to get some diving knickknacks and souvenirs. We then met up with the rest of the group for lunch at Rock Island Café.
The place reminded me of an American diner, both in ambience and serving size. The menu was a jumble of Asian, American, and Italian food (It was an “international restaurant” after all). I usually dislike menus that have a lot of choices, but only because of my own inability to make up my mind as to what to order. After scanning the menu over and over, I finally decided on the Tuna Steak Dinner.
According to the menu, it was a “9 oz. grilled yellow-fin tuna steak, served with a delicious tomato salsa. Comes with rice, vegetable, and a dinner roll. $7.95” I asked if I could have mashed potatoes instead of rice (like I needed the extra calories), and they complied.
When my food arrived, I belatedly realized that nine ounces meant more than half a pound. The slice of tuna was huge, and way too big for me. This of course did not stop me from finishing it.
The tuna was fresh, though a little too well done for my taste. I forgot to ask them to cook it rare. What they called a “delicious tomato salsa” tasted like an unusual concoction of carrots, onions, and A-1 sauce. It wasn’t bad, but I preferred to eat the fish by itself.
I finished the mashed potatoes, but barely touched the roll in a rather lame attempt to limit my calorie consumption. I wanted to have dessert, but there simply was no more space in my stomach for it afterward. It's a good thing we did a little more shopping and walking after lunch, as I was able to burn off that half pound of fish somewhat.
Rock Island Café
The International Restaurant and Pub
Republic of Belau (Palau)
488-1010
488-1406
Tuna SteakIt was also good to take a break from diving that day because it would have felt just a wee bit miserable to be off on a day of diving with the rain pounding the boat, and the clouds preventing the sun from giving us the best possible visibility underwater.
The people in our group mostly went their own way for the day. After a late breakfast, my friends and I opted to visit some dive shops to get some diving knickknacks and souvenirs. We then met up with the rest of the group for lunch at Rock Island Café.
The place reminded me of an American diner, both in ambience and serving size. The menu was a jumble of Asian, American, and Italian food (It was an “international restaurant” after all). I usually dislike menus that have a lot of choices, but only because of my own inability to make up my mind as to what to order. After scanning the menu over and over, I finally decided on the Tuna Steak Dinner.
According to the menu, it was a “9 oz. grilled yellow-fin tuna steak, served with a delicious tomato salsa. Comes with rice, vegetable, and a dinner roll. $7.95” I asked if I could have mashed potatoes instead of rice (like I needed the extra calories), and they complied.
When my food arrived, I belatedly realized that nine ounces meant more than half a pound. The slice of tuna was huge, and way too big for me. This of course did not stop me from finishing it.
The tuna was fresh, though a little too well done for my taste. I forgot to ask them to cook it rare. What they called a “delicious tomato salsa” tasted like an unusual concoction of carrots, onions, and A-1 sauce. It wasn’t bad, but I preferred to eat the fish by itself.
I finished the mashed potatoes, but barely touched the roll in a rather lame attempt to limit my calorie consumption. I wanted to have dessert, but there simply was no more space in my stomach for it afterward. It's a good thing we did a little more shopping and walking after lunch, as I was able to burn off that half pound of fish somewhat.
Rock Island Café
The International Restaurant and Pub
Republic of Belau (Palau)
488-1010
488-1406
Comments
All the best,
Alex
I am the owner of the taj restaurant in palau and i have read your comments it may be an unfortunate insident that you have to wait for an hour in my restaurant for food if you just had a goa fish curry and tandoori prantha it will cost you $18 only my menu prices are based on actual cost of spices imported from india and the food we buy here from the U S any ways i really apriciateif you could come and experience the taj again while you are here the next time it will be an invitation from me Robert John Scaria robertscaria2006@yahoo.com best regards