When Americans hear the word “Fiji”, usually the first thing that comes to mind is overpriced bottled water. But those who visit the string of 300 islands are delighted by a layered food scene — one that’s been formed by centuries of colonization, immigration, and native traditions.
Brothers Anand, Raajan, and Krishan Kumar are introducing Fijian dishes with modern twists at their pop-up Tolu: Seattle’s only Fijian restaurant. Sometimes it’s an easy sell, and other times it takes a little convincing (but not without the trademark Fijian hospitality). I met Anand and Raajan at their commissary kitchen in Tukwila, and discussed how they use Tolu to share their culture with the rest of the world.
What makes Fijian food unique, and how did that come to be?
Anand: Fiji just gained its independence in the 70s, so it’s still a fairly new country. There are many generations of Indian people there. They were brought from India by the British to farm sugar cane and, which is one of Fiji’s main exports. Indian food in Fiji is unique because there was a mix of Indian people coming, from both the North and the South. They were familiar with blending their own spices and then it just evolved to adapt to Fiji’s environment.
So it’s a mish-mash of Northern and Southern Indian with a Pacific Island twist. I think the closest comparison is Trinidad. There’s Indian people that were brought there for the same reasons. But the methods and the spices are a little bit different, because of what was available in each region. Trinidadians go way hot with their spices. We go spicy, but not quite as intense with it.
There is also the native Fijian food. Lovo is an important method, where food is cooked in the ground and shared with the whole community. It’s similar to a luau. And coconut milk is an important ingredient that’s used in many ways.
There is one more element, which Tolu hasn’t quite tapped into: Chinese dishes. There’s a significant population of Chinese people in Fiji that have been there for generations, and they’ve adapted their flavors to the islands as well. Down the road we’ll be putting those dishes on our menu.
What are some dishes that are meaningful to Fijians? Ones that you would suggest trying first for people who have never had it?
Raajan: I think chicken curry is a huge staple for the Indian side of it. If you visit any non-vegetarian’s house in Fiji the first thing they’ll give you is chicken curry, rice and maybe some rotis or pooris. These are our versions of tortillas. What about the native Fijian side, Anand?
Anand: On the Fijian side, one is coconut milk stew where you throw in fish, veggies, or whatever else you want. That’s called a Lolo. It’s served with boiled taro or cassava, and they’ll use the whole plant including the taro leaves. Those are the two main staples.
Another is a cold dish called Kokoda that we just put on our menu. It’s Fiji’s version of a ceviche, with coconut milk. We’ve used tuna, salmon, and king oyster mushrooms for a vegan option. There are peppers in it as well. So you’ve got the sweet of the coconut milk, the acid of the citrus, and the heat of the pepper — it’s all pretty well balanced.
I’ll also say home-cooked chicken curry always tastes different. No two versions will taste the same. Everybody has their own blends of spices, cuts, and methods that they apply. Some make tweaks to the method and other people are using standard steps, but the ingredients are different. You can go to your neighbor’s house and have the same chicken curry, but it’s not going to be the same.
Same thing with the native Fijian food too. There’s over 300 islands in Fiji. Not all of it’s inhabited, but each of the villages has a different version of Lolo, Lovo or Kokoda because they use methods that are specific to that island.
At the end of the day, if you know the general name of the dish, you can have 10 or 20 variations of it in one group of islands [laughs].
Is the food that Tolu serves in restaurants or cafes on the Fiji Islands? Or is it more home-cooked meals?
Raajan: What we’re doing right now is definitely more home-cooked. Obviously, there’s going to be curries everywhere. But our fry bread is traditionally the kind of food that you would serve at weddings or celebrations. It’s saved for special occasions because it’s labor intensive — a lot of love and effort goes into making it right.
Anand: The food we make isn’t always served as it would be at home though. We’re making the fry bread into a taco, which is something I feel like we started here. You typically have your fry bread, next to your curries. You rip it up and you scoop up the protein. But because we’re at a market, grab-and-go food is always the best option. People are already familiar with tacos, so why not throw it together and make it work? Right now the chicken tacos are the best-seller.
Another trend we’ve capitalized on is quesabirria. For a while you would see it on just about every social media platform. So we did our take on that. We took our British-influenced lamb stew, tweaked it and made a quesabirria. And those were flying out the door all winter.
How have you been getting the word out about Fijian food?
Anand: I think a big thing that helped us through social media was a local influencer on Tik Tok: Tina Thach. She came out one day and we shut down and did a spread for her. On the day she posted us, we gained 400 followers and we were selling out. Since then we’ve doubled our following.
Every time we roll out a new dish, we’ll tap into her and pick her brain a little bit. We’re like, “Hey, come on down and try this. If it’s crappy you need to let us know.” She’s still a big part of our process.
What’s been the most difficult challenge in educating customers in Seattle over the couple years you’ve been open?
Raajan: People don’t know what Fijian food is, they’ve never heard of it. That can be a draw for some people, but for others it makes it difficult to order. That’s why our name says modern Fijian cuisine. We have traditional flavors, but we’re not limited to serving it the traditional way.
The fry bread tacos, for example, make it more accessible because people know what tacos are. From there we know that once they try it, they’re going to enjoy it. We’re confident in our flavors because we don’t cut corners and quality is so important to us.
Anand: Sometimes it’s just explaining to people that Fiji is a country. That it is in the South Pacific and that it is not the mountain in Japan or the apple. Or just the brand of water [laughs].
And that’s why we’re doing this. It’s to share our culture. It’s to show that we are a tiny island nation, but we do have something to offer. Fiji is known to be a very friendly, welcoming country. When you visit, everybody will want you to come to stay with them and you will feel like family, no matter who you are. In any village, any town you go to, everybody will always have a smile. Everybody will always say “bula”, which is “hello” in the native Fijian language.
Raajan: And we try to keep that tradition and culture at Tolu, even though we are running a business. If we see people who are on the fence about trying it, we’ll say, “Hey, you know what, the first one’s on us. Just try it.” Because if you go to anyone’s house in Fiji, you can walk right in and they’re going to feed you, feed you, and feed you. We’re just trying to continue that Fijian Hospitality here too.
Anand: We’ve converted quite a few people that way. The whole reason why we’re here is to educate people who we are and what we do and what Fiji is as a whole. Hopefully we’re making the motherland proud in the process.
“Tolu” is the Fijian word for the number three. It represents the three brothers and three flavors, which are native Fijian, Indian and Pacific Northwestern. If you want to stay up to date with Tolu’s rotating menu and locations, follow them on Instagram and Facebook.
Leave a Reply