TOLU: A Taste of Fiji in Seattle
/One of the things I love about living in Seattle is the plethora of food options we have here. You have International District which is home to some of the best Chinese Restaurants in town or you can have your pick of delicious and fresh seafood by the pier. There are endless mom and pop shops for quick bites of all kinds and there is certainly something for everyone. Even your pickiest eater will find something they can enjoy anywhere.
I have had my fair share of eating all different types of foods from different cultures. If you know me, there isn’t many foods I will pass up, (except tomatoes) and I love supporting locally owned businesses. Especially if it’s someone whom I know personally. There’s a new spot in town I feel like everyone and their mom needs to check out because it’s so delicious and the story behind the meal is even more precious.
I want to introduce you to TOLU: Modern Fijian Cuisine
All Photos Taken by Kristy Neang
IG: @lotusfleurxo
This awesome food stall is family owned and really delightful! I had the opportunity to try this place out at the South Lake Union Saturday Market and fell in love. I am fortunate to have come across this place because of a good friend of mine whom’s boyfriend’s family owns and runs it. I really do enjoy supporting my friends in their craft and it’s such a blessing to be surrounded by people going after their dreams. Opening and running a food stall or any kind of business isn’t easy and you have to have the drive and heart to want to push forward to make it happen. Even if there are some days that are harder than most, you still are willing to put in the work to make the dream come to life.
TOLU offers an array of dishes that pack such a flavorful punch! Their chicken curry is to die for and they do it beautifully in a patty pan tortilla wrap or served over a bed of rice. There isn’t many places like this. What I also love about this place and any other small business is when they used local ingredients! From their organic veggies to their seafood/protein choices. I’m a sucker for it. I think that makes a restaurant or food shop even that more great. They’re environmentally conscious and they still put heart into their food. You can taste the freshness and spices that come to life in each item. These are foods that you can tell they grew up eating. When you take a bite, you feel some kind of comfort that warms your soul. The kind of feeling when you get to have a home cooked meal. The meal that you share with your friends and family at a get together.
To better give you an insight on what TOLU is, I thought that it would be awesome to have one of the member’s give you a back story! Better from the source than me, am I right? ;)
IG: @toluseattle
Website: Toluseattle.com
“Tolu means the number 3 in the Fijian language. It represents us being 3 brothers along with the 3 influences in the food that we serve: Indo-Fijian, Native Fijian, with a touch of the Pacific Northwest.
We decided to start Tolu because we wanted to share our culture with Seattle. We believe The best way to share ones culture is through their food, since everyone LOVES food!
Besides a successful pop-up event that we had last August, at Chef Eric Rivera’s restaurant space (Addo Seattle), my brothers and I have never worked in the restaurant industry before but we are all very passionate about food. The three of us can agree that our parents had the biggest influence on us starting a food business. Our parents love to cook for people and host get togethers!
We are passionate about staying true to our roots but also allowing our food to be accessible to people who have never tried Fijian food before.
Additionally, Fijians have a strong sense of community and we feel that it is important to support our local community, here in the northwest, by partnering with local farms and other small businesses to source some of our ingredients. We want to ensure that we share the best ingredients possible. If we wouldn’t pay for it ourselves, we wouldn’t serve it!
One of the partnerships that we established pretty quickly has been with Farmer, Shawn Miller, at Tuk Muk Farm in Woodinville. During our first week at the SLU market, he hooked us up with miners lettuce and edible flowers that we incorporated into a couple of our dishes. As the weather continues to get warmer, we will be sourcing a lot more of our greens from him and showing-casing them in our dishes!
We are hoping to get into more farmers markets in the area and hope to do more formal pop-up events in the next few months!! :)
And there you have it ladies and gents! I hope you guys are able to sneak a taste of Tolu! Unfortunately, there isn’t a stand alone store for them. You’ll be able to catch these tasty bites at the South Lake Union Saturday Farmer’s Market from 10am-4pm or until they’re sold out! Give them a follow on Instagram to find out where they will popping up next! Cannot want to see where this journey of spreading culinary love leads TOLU to!
IG: @toluseattle
Website: Toluseattle.com
Sample Menu From The South Lake Union Farmer’s Market. **Items may vary depending on availability/season
