TL;DR: I never hide anything with what I like about food. One of them is the willingness to want to try something from each country, and get to appreciate the cuisine. Ergo, the ones that fly under the radar are what get my attention and our friends in the Pacific Islands are exactly that. This is Tongan fare, and it was delicious and filling. What made it better was the relaxed atmosphere, and no sense of pretense anywhere to be found.
It is not often right in suburbia that you find yourself a place that is truly unique and will stand out among its competition. Even with that, we are talking about something which could eventually attract over clientele from the other side of town simply on the prospect of having something that is quite a bit different. I am talking about Umu Kitchen, where knowing the background to it adds some appreciation to the whole ordeal.
Umu is run by a Tongan couple who wanted to find the right place to bring their passion to life. One had heaps of training with diverse culinary skills, and the other was adept in biomedical science. Inputting their collective brains together, they have built up something which serves something unique but it is also well-run, relaxing, and knows full well whom to attract. It is the hidden gem right in suburbia, which everyone around knows about it.
Once again, we come to Sunday morning. As per the tradition, it is the time to go and find another place to have a spot of breakfast; and the way that the arrangement is set up is more or less how it goes every time. Nevertheless, this time it was remaining in the local area. No clues were given, so it was a complete surprise rocking up to this place. Most notable about Umu Kitchen is the interior design. They were blessed already by the skeleton of the shopfront, in which the cafe stretches several meters away from the car park and gradually gets more relaxed and calming. Parallel to the adjacent street is a row of glass windows each having a table for customers to sit at. The paintings on the wall give it a tropical and Pacific aesthetic, and the choice of furniture while still nice and slick give the impression of comfort and relaxation. The relaxing atmosphere and aesthetic are both apparent the instant you step into sight of Umu Kitchen. They have several pot plants out the front to indicate a lush kind of aesthetic, along with the umbrellas for the front most tables.
Coming along to the service, it was more or less what it was. They did their job, and they were pretty friendly. To be fair, the place was buzzing (as it should well be); this had the crew be very busy constantly delivering orders, collecting dishes, and ensuring it was all running smoothly.
So regarding this food, could someone clarify this for me. Am I looking at a place that specialises, even in a low-key manner, in the tastes of the Polynesian Islands? I ask this because something in the air seemed a lot different than normal. Even with a small taste of trying the rich cuisine there, I could see influences here and there with the sweets and some of the items on the menu.
Regardless, the general fare is fairly simple. It first looks as if it is a basic cafe, though the Islander influence comes in later from a quick scan. For the morning meal, they essentially offer the range of regular options associated with cafes. If the menu is not enough, right in the cabinet is the big range of sandwiches, pastries, and all sorts of sweets. The real challenge is to overcome the temptation of those big, plump bakery delights.
For something to wet the whistle, they have themselves a great range of choices. These include both tea and coffee, in which they have not spared any expense and gotten worthwhile varieties; that small touch can make a country mile of difference. As well as the two usual options, plenty is present for the more chilled choices: those include iced tea, kombucha, all kinds of fruit juice, milkshakes, and smoothies. On a hot day, I can envision here being a popular haunt.
The first order of business came down to getting something to drink. Considering that this is breakfast, and who is talking right here anyways, that came down to ordering a coffee. The choice of coffee was the trusty old doppio. We are in the best of luck here due to their choice of coffee beans - none other than Parallel Roasters. There are times that the coffee makes the cafe, and I reckon it is one of those times. The flavour is a little different than normal, with notes being more complicated and understated. Slightly on the hazelnut and chestnut side, these beans allow the drinker to think about the roasting process. This shot of coffee was sharp, strong, and well extracted.
With that question about the food being influence by Polynesia, it is all brought home from the meal that I ordered. It was simply called the Polynesian plate and could have well come out of Samoa, Tonga or any of our neighbours. This was a hefty and filling one-plate delight that had chunks of honey-baked ham, a whole heap of spinach which was lapping up the coconut cream, as well as several big bits of gnocchi made from cassava. To round all of that off, and give it some sustenance, there were two big poached eggs which I requested the yolks to be soft.
This breakfast did alright by me. The portion size was generous, each component on the plate popped out to the eyes, plus they all managed to be delicious. I could have sworn I was back somewhere in Fiji, plating up a lovo. If there is one big advantage that the cuisine of the islands has, it is the sense of earnestness; they care for the quality of course, but ultimately want their guests to enjoy their meal.
These were big chunks of ham, almost like they were cutting sections off a big leg out the back and making sure everyone who ordered it got a good pile of meat on their plate. Taking it from my end, that is the way to do it. If it hadn't been said already, it is no exaggeration to say that the food was swimming in coconut cream. We all know coconut has its distinct sweet taste, so this was no complaint at all; on the contrary, the plump bits of gnocchi could soak up a lot, as did the spinach. It made both of these guys better. While cassava itself does not have a lot of flavour, in doing the comparison to potato it has a lighter sort of texture that made the pieces of gnocchi softer and less dense. Spinach is spinach, as we all do know. A bit of tomato was on the side, that I can more or less take or leave. Rounding it all off, like with most breakfasts, was the poached eggs. These were plump and fresh, plus with how they were cooked till soft the yolk added a sauce to the whole concoction.
This cafe rises itself from the ashes of one of the area's best spots, Leaf Espresso. While it is always sad to see the end of a good business, the essential action is to look forward to the next chapter; by saying that, we have found ourselves a great successor. It doesn't intend to simply be like what came before it but forge its own identity.
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