From ‘kikaka’
to café latte
As Samoa begins to modernise its hospitality industry, nothing epitomises this mindset shift more than the emerging café culture in downtown Apia. CHERELLE JACKSON reports.
Something smells utterly beautiful in Samoa. No it’s not crackling pig nor the scent of frangipani. It is the smell of freshly brewed coffee, not the same old instant coffee that gathers dust on shop shelves, rather the scent of quality imported coffee beans. It’s the real deal.
Local coffee lovers no longer settle for the pre-sugared, pre-milked coffee in the ‘kikaka’ (old teapot with more dents than a wrecked car), from the back kitchen of the fale. Samoa’s café culture has emerged to fill a void that was once teased if not affronted by Nescafe blended coffee, Akbar tea and cheap Chinese creamed cookies on a Sunday afternoon.
We now yearn for the taste of freshly brewed, carefully mixed and exquisitely presented coffee, whether it’s a smooth latte or a mouth-watering cappuccino, even the mighty long black with a side of heart shaped strawberry biscuits or a healthy sandwich with actual greens. We have moved up a notch in the world.
Two cafes stand at the core of this culture.
Sydney Side Café and Paddles Restaurant/ Café have introduced to the heart of Apia, Samoa a touch of class to day dining that has been missing for a very long time, thanks to four young, vibrant entrepreneurs with diverse experience in the food industry and a passion for quality coffee.
Three years ago Anania and Brian Spina, a young couple from Sydney, took over a corner space in one of the town’s less significant buildings, the Goldstar building, and started painting and redecorating it. A few weeks later, Sydney Side Café of Apia opened its doors.
At first it was frequented by tourists and homesick ex-pats yearning for a taste of their normality. Eventually the locals caught on and made the place their own. “It took time for Samoans to feel comfortable in the café. It has now gone from a palagi hangout to a local café,” Brian says.
He believes Samoans have always had a taste for good coffee.
“Although they may not necessarily know what the coffee is called or specific types, they do have an appreciation for good coffee, some do know what they want and ask for it,” he says.
The café culture has also created healthy eating options. Set right in the heart of town, the café is nestled in the only sheltered promenade next to the ACB building, one of the new high rises. At peak times, the pedestrian traffic reminds you of Auckland.
On any given day you can find bank tellers, United Nations employees, business owners or even the Head of State waiting for their favourite sandwich. On the other side of town, and possessing a fine view of Apia harbour, is Paddles Restaurant and Café. A year into business two young part Italian, part Samoan siblings have transformed the premises into the type of side street classy cafe you would find in Europe.
Dorah Rossi is a picture of true Polynesian Italian beauty, alongside her brother Giovanni Rossi, a vivacious and dynamic character. Together they make up Paddles atmosphere with their combined passion to give customers a good dining experience.
“Café culture is not just about coffee, it is also about the atmosphere through the combination of good music, fine food and great service,” explains Dorah. They import their own coffee to ensure quality and customer satisfaction.
“We try to maintain a high standard of service and quality in everything we serve here,” Dorah adds. “People will tell you if the coffee is good, and we have been told that we sell the best coffee. It is all about consistency.”
With collective backgrounds in the service and food industry in Europe and New Zealand, Dorah and Giovanni can walk the talk. Thanks to these four, a café culture has been carved out in Samoa to match anywhere else in the Pacific, enhancing Samoa’s urban social scene.
Places such as Cappuccino Vineyard, Tu I Moana, Hotel Elisa, Maris Bakehouse, Seafood Gourmet, Hot n’ Spicy, Millennia and Rainforest Restaurant are also on the fringes of that culture providing, in their own way, another layer. Samoans have certainly come a long way from mum’s kikaka in the umukuka (kitchen). We are now citizens of the coffee democracy.