Located just footsteps from one of the most gorgeous ocean views in Cayman, looking out on the Wreck of the Ten Sails, passenger’s rave about the friendly and fun atmosphere Chef Ron and his wife Lana have created. Tukka native 
fusion Restaurant is celebrating its ninth birthday and is named by many passengers as one of the best restaurants on the island. Recently Passenger Picks caught up with the creator of Tukka, owner and head chef Ron Hargrave, a native Aussie and long-time Cayman Islands resident.
PP: Ron, November starts off with Cayman’s Pirates Week celebration. You really go all out for it. Tell us what you have going on at Tukka.
RH: Pirates Week on Cayman is such a blast. At Tukka, we all dress up in Pirates week costumes. Arrrr! To celebrate, we’re offering a Pirates Week Promotion – ask about it when you arrive. During Pirates Week enjoy one of Chef Ron’s favorite entrees and free glass of house wine, or any one of Tukka’s four Caybrew varieties.
PP: Sounds great. Last year we remember seeing a bunch of Pirates visit your restaurant on East End Heritage Day.
RH: Yeah, it’s been a tradition for that bunch. Ben “Blackbeard” Cherry and his First Mate, Dee Gee will be back dining at Tukka.
For over 20 years they have been coming to Cayman’s Pirate Week and dining in East End.
PP: They obviously love your food, as we do! Ron, Tukka is known for local seafood that’s just outstanding! Tell us about “Fresh Fish Friday”.
RH: Every Friday local fisherman drop off their catches for the Tukka Chef’s to filet, prepare and cook right in front of your eyes. Prepared at our fish filleting station, right on the balcony, our selection of fresh-fish, go straight from the ocean to your dinner plate! It’s the only way to try a variety of Cayman’s freshest fish like Yellow Fin Tuna, Mahi-Mahi, Wahoo, Snapper and Lion Fish, which is always a local favorite! Your boneless filet selection is served with either garlic mashed potatoes or coconut basmati rice and perfectly seasoned stir-fry mixed vegetables.
PP: As divers ourselves, we’re really glad you’re having so much so much success thinning out the Lion-Fish.
RH: Actually Tukka just hit 27,000 lbs of lion-fish bought in 8 years! Not bad for a little Aussie Restaurant on the East side. We are doing everything we can to educate people on the devastation these poisonous and voracious eating machines are capable of! These feisty little critters that threaten the marine ecosystem often make it to the plate,
so when you order lionfish you’re getting a tasty dish and you’re helping the
environment. Good thing they taste delicious! We work closely with the local East End divers to bring us in as many as they can catch. And finally we’ve got the Lion-Fish problem under control in Cayman.
PP: We love the delicious way you prepare the Lion-Fish.
RH: And we’ve got new recipes…including the very popular and extremely tasty Lion-Fish Tacos and whole deep-fried Lion-Fish (minus the dangerous spines of course!) And folks can check out a few of these little critters on display in our aquarium. Live Lion-Fish are nothing to play with, so if folks recognize one in the water, they’ll know to stay away from them.
PP: We love that you not only display the Lion-Fish, but in your larger aquarium you have live Caribbean Lobster.
RH: Yeah, Caribbean Lobster season is December 1 – February 28th. You cannot miss this Cayman delicacy. And if you’re game, you can don the catching gloves and fish out your own dinner!
PP: Ron, there are so many exciting developments at Tukka this season. Tell us about them.
RH: This coming season we are looking forward to seeing all our regular and new guests from around the globe. And to make their experience even more enjoyable we’ve made several additions.
PP: One has to be your huge Rum cabinet!
RH: This is the Largest Luxury Rum Cabinet in Cayman. Our pricing structure is the big bonus with the opportunity to taste 4 levels of flights 3 x 1o oz rums while choosing from over 90 premium Caribbean and Australian rums. Flights are from $19-$99 per flight.
PP: Wow, impressive! And we noticed your new van out front.
RH: Yeah, it’s our latest addition to the Tukka fleet. A 14 seat courtesy van available for large family groups from Seven Mile Beach to request pickup…starting with brunch right now!
PP: That’s really great. It will really help the families on Seven mile that haven’t rented a car. This is such a beautiful setting, here.
RH: Tukka has undergone a new face left with fresh paint and added a Tuck Shop Souvenir section available for purchasing a unique gift when you visit.
PP: Great idea! Everything looks wonderful here. Tell us about your signature style of cuisine.
RH: I’m a true blue Queensland born Aussie so I guess it should be Barby cooking, but I’ve always has a passion for Thai cooking. I love to create dishes that are interactive with the guests and don’t just come out on a plate! The Tukka brochette is the #1 main course for that very reason. I’m very excited to see this when it comes out onto the ocean deck.
PP: Tell us about the concept behind the creation of Tukka.
RH: The concept of Tukka is native Caribbean and Australian fusion. It’s Caribbean food with an Australian blend, so you may get a jerk kangaroo; you’ll have an Aussie burger, which is probably one of the biggest burgers you’re going to eat. We’ve got a steak and mushroom pie, which is sort of the equivalent of a Jamaican beef patty.
PP: So creative! Your Sunday brunch has really taken off. To us, it’s a great place to begin the week.
RH: Our Sunday Brunch has cemented its place as the #1 Oceanfront, sandy beach Brunch on island. Sit on the verandah overlooking the waves while you tuck into a hot and cold buffet of awesome dishes, some of them straight off the Barbie. If you fancy some bubbly, choose the bottomless bubbles option to complement your brunch. You’ll be as content as a koala up a gum tree by the time you’re done.
PP: How are Walkabout Wednesday’s going?
RH: Walkabout Wednesday’s are going strong. For a reasonable price you’ll enjoy a fantastic Australian Walkabout themed 4 Course Dinner with culinary delights from around the globe with a free glass of house wine or beer of your choice. It’s a great way to sample everything from Barramundi to Crocodile in a relaxed atmosphere.
PP: Yes, that a really great value. So we’re hearing a lot about your Cayman Tree Chicken. Tell us about it.
RH: Yeah, I created this entrée recently, it’s actually green iguana. And Cayman Tree Chicken is becoming very popular and amazing the customers how tasty it is. And like the lion fish, it’s good for our environment to reduce them. We have way too many in Cayman, 1.2 million on them!
PP: Ron, we love how environmentally conscious you are here. Well, now, how about dessert? So many passengers rave about your wonderful dessert creation: Date and Walnut Pudding.
RH: Yeah, I created this dish due to the amount of restaurants that had sticky date pudding on their menus and I wanted my own original recipe! It’s a lot lighter and moister than others with that great date flavor.
PP: Last time we were here, we watched a chef feed scraps to the birds.
RH: Yeah, I think we’ve got those Frigate birds trained. Every day at 5:00 pm, and Sunday during Brunch at 1 pm, we feed them. Everyone seems to love this unique occasion for some great photos.
PP: Tell us what made you choose cooking as a career, and how your career progressed.
RH: As a little bugger, I enjoyed helping my mum in the kitchen. I became known as “the family’s chef” at 12 when I presented my sister with a homemade birthday cake. At 14 I started working in restaurant kitchens until I graduated high school, then enrolled in Professional Catering School. I did a four-year apprenticeship with Ambassador Hotels, which took me to several Australian cities. From there I went on to chef for several prestigious hotels.
PP: Well, how did you get from Australia to Cayman?
RH: One afternoon in August ‘98 I saw a small advertisement in the paper, “Cayman Islands need chefs.” After a telephone interview with Executive Chef Patrick Maloir of the Westin Casuarina Resort, I moved here in 
February ’99, sight unseen. I started at the Westin as a line cook and worked my way to a Sous Chef. Then I had stints as Executive Chef at several outstanding Cayman restaurants, the best one being the last one because that’s where I met my beautiful wife, Lana. Then seven years ago, we finally realized our dream, and opened Tukka!
PP: So did you get any time for a break with such a busy year?
RH: Busy?! That’s an understatement. three restaurants and four babies in nine years! We did get to take a few days and visit Lana’s home town of Bowser on Vancouver Island this summer and had an amazing time with the family. Our son Ledger is turning nine during Pirates week. He was
born just 5 weeks after we opened Tukka! We will always know how old the restaurant is! Our lovely daughter Kinsley is 7½, our inquisitive son Easton who is just 4½, and finally our son Hayman is two. It is a beautiful thing to discover the world again through the eyes of your children. They keep us busy, but also remind us daily what is important in life…Love, Laughter and patience!
PP: Great reminders. You’ve got such a beautiful spot out here in East End.
RH: From the ocean deck you have the sparkling views of the famous Wreck of the Ten Sails by day. Then, when you have a full moon that comes up over here, it comes up right over that (outdoor) balcony at seven, eight, nine o’clock at night. Full moon beach dining is forever growing in popularity. Check our FaceBook page for dates and moonrise times. There are three evenings every month when you can witness this unique East End experience. It’s one of the most beautiful things you’re ever going to see in your life...listen to the waves gently lap against the shore while you see the gorgeous moonrise.
PP: Tell us about the name Tukka.
RH: The word Tukka comes from the Native Australian Aborigines. It means native food, or food from the land. It’s Tukka time!
PP: What’s the story with the canoe on the wall? We see so many photo’s of it.
RH: During the renovations to transform Portofino into Tukka back in Sept 2010 I was stuck with what to do with this blue canoe on the wall. After thinking of taking it down, I stumbled across a coffee table book of Hurricane Ivan called “Paradise Interrupted”. On page 78 you can see the roof was missing and the restaurant was all but destroyed and the canoe was still on the wall! My wife Lana told me, “the best thing you can do is 
paint it and show some respect”. So with the help of some friends it got a make-over and to date has had over 10,000 photo’s of Tukka guests under it.
PP: Passengers consistently comment about how fun it is to dine at Tukka…great food, great fun!
RH: Fun certainly is a goal of ours. So November 1st we start our Happy Hour promo. Choose items from lobster & shrimp spring-rolls, coconut shrimp and Crocodile & conch fritters for as low as $1.25 per. It runs from 3-6 pm each week day with beers at $3.50 and cocktails and wine at $6.75. The earlier you get there the cheaper it is!
RH: I want everyone who comes to Tukka to have an awesome experience and enjoy great food with friendly service. When I hear that our guests have had a fun night out and had a great meal! I’ve done my job as a chef!
PP: Folks, we think you can see why this is one of our favorite places to dine. Don’t miss this opportunity.
Tukka Restaurant and Bar
e-mail: tukka@candw.ky
Monday to Saturday : 11am – 10pm
Sunday : 8am – 10pm
Phone: (345) 947-2700
898 Queens Highway, East End, Grand Cayman