Saturday special: Steamed buns from Dorothy's Kitchen

These chinese steamed buns, with a pork or chicken filling, are available at Dorothy's Kitchen only on Saturdays, and usually sold out early in the afternoon.


These are probably the best steamed buns in Suva (comments welcome). I have a distinct preference for the pork ones (pictured above) ... but if pork isn't on your menu, the chicken buns are quite good.

If you've got a hankering for steamed buns during the week, Hot & Spicy Kitchen sells an edible chicken-filled bun.

Kimbab 153 at Kundan Singh Supermarket

Kimbab 153 is not a restaurant; not even a shop ... it seems to exist mainly as a wooden table inside the front of Kundan Singh's Supermarket, adorned with the merchandise and a small sign; a small stall run by a small group of Korean women.

Kimbab (or gimbap, or kimbap, depending on who you listen to) is a great little Korean lunch or snack: a variety of fillings with steamed rice in a dried seaweed roll (similar to the Japanese makizushi).

There are 5 different offerings from Kimbab 153: Vegetable, Original, Tuna, Chicken and Kimchi. Kimchi is my personal preference: it has a delightful chilli bite to it. Prices range from $4.99 to $5.99



These tasty little lunches are well packaged. Each serve comes in a clear plastic takeaway container, complete with a small dose of soy dipping sauce. Major points for a nice label that lists all the ingredients at a readable size.

Obtaining a kimbab pack has become a little more difficult since the US Embassy construction project started ... so get in early if you want a selection of fillings to choose from. Turning up after 12:30 means you're going to get left with a choice of the less interesting ones (tuna and chicken) or nothing at all.

Occasionally, the ladies make the rolls on-site ... and sometimes they offer free samples.

Update [Picky Eater - 28 Feb 2009]: Someone's been reading Kania Tiko's comment below (or his mind). A trip past the Kimbab 153 stall today revealed the usual selection of kimbab ... and small tubs of kimchi at $5 each. Excellent!


By way of warning for those who haven't tried kimchi before, the 'small' tub should last you a few days: you're not going to want to eat it all in one sitting. Pop the leftovers in the fridge, use it as a condiment for your meals, and enjoy the health benefits & some extra peace of mind

In Summary

Kimbab 153

Kundan Singh's Supermarket,
Prince's Road,
Tamavua

Opening Hours:

Mon - Sat: 10:00am - 2:00pm

Spend:

$5 - $6 per person

Verdict:

Thumbs-up

Dorothy's Kitchen

Pizza! Quite possibly the best pizza in Suva ... and from the most unlikely place.

For years I thought the sign at the front of Dorothy's little shop was either a joke or a reminder of past glory: the place doesn't look like they sell pizza. There's no pizza menu visible when you walk in. It just looks like any other run-of-the-mill Chinese takeout: the small food warmer, the glass case with pre-cooked sausage rolls, the Coke fridge, and the faded, fake brick paint job on the small glass shop front

But Dorothy's is anything but normal. The secret is to ask ... and then you receive!

"So, do you really sell pizza?" I asked on my first tentative foray.

A laminated menu was produced from beneath the counter, boasting a pizza range equal to any of the dedicated pizza shops in town (and with a full Chinese menu on the reverse) ... and the discovery began.

Several trips later, I can happily recommend the Dorothy Special (pictured below), the Sweet Vegetarian and anything with chicken on it. These are good pizza: a good crust (not too thin, but not overwhelmingly thick either), fresh toppings, and held together by real cheese ... cheese that stretches when you try and pull a piece off.


Dorothy's also does a respectable meat pie; and on Saturday's only, sells Chinese steamed buns (chicken or red pork) that are worth a special trip up to Tamavua.


Service is usually fast and efficient, but you may want to phone in your pizza orders. Takeaways are the order of the day: there are only 3 eat-in seats (yes, seats, not tables).

For excellent pizza, friendly service, and a very respectable "made-to-order" menu, Lunch in Suva gives Dorothy's Kitchen a thumbs-up.

In Summary

Dorothy's Kitchen

MH Superfresh Shopping Centre, Tamavua

Opening Hours:

Mon - Fri: 10:00am - 2:00pm, 4:30pm - 8:00pm

Sat: 10:00am - 8:00pm

Spend:

$1.80 - $7 per person

Phone:

3385427

Verdict:

Thumbs-up

Photos by dsheehy

Soup Works

Soup Works does not fit neatly into any of the usual categories of lunching establishments: it does not have it's own premises; it does not reside in a food court; it does not offer eat-in service.

Soup Works exists behind a counter in MH Superfresh, Tamavua. It is inside the supermarket, squeezed in between the cheese fridge and the delicatessen.


The place is clean, neat, simple, and has a substantial menu ... consisting exclusively of soups (over 40 at last count). There is a significant bias toward the Asian soups, but these are widely sourced: Laksa from Malaysia, Tom Yum from Thailand, and all the favourites from China; alongside a selection of European cream-of-vegetable and minestrone variations.

My favourite is the Tom yum Seafood, pictured below.


The general idea with Soup Works is that you place your order, and then spend the waiting time (between 10 to 15 minutes) wandering the aisles of MH, collecting the various necessaries listed on the shopping list which you have kept handily in your pocket for just such a a moment as this.

All soups are cooked on the spot and to order, so you have the opportunity to specify variations to the house recipe.

Your soup comes handily packaged for the road. A warning however: the soup is hot! If you're planning on driving away with it, it's best to have a side-kick along to keep the soup containers upright while you navigate the potholes.

For excellent soup -- and a simple, well-executed catering concept -- Lunch In Suva give Soup Works a big thumbs up.

In Summary

Soup Works

MH Superfresh Shopping Centre, Tamavua

Phone:

3623 362, 9290 088, 9355 679

Opening Hours:

Mon - Thu: 9:00am - 8:00pm

Fri - Sat: 9:00am - 9:00pm

Sun: 9:00am - 2:00pm

Spend:

$5.50 - $9.00 per person

Verdict:

Thumbs-up

Photos by abuke_2004