Find the flavors of the Pacific Islands (in taco form) at these 3 Seattle-area food trucks – seattlepi.com

Seattles food scene boasts a huge range of Filipino foods, from the high-end tasting menu of Archipelago to the classic lunch counter of Oriental Mart in the Pike Place Market.

Hawaiian cuisine, too, comes in many forms from plate lunch chain L &L Hawaiian Barbecue to local gem Kona Kitchen. But few restaurants in the area serve the food of any the islands that sit in the vast expanse of the Pacific Ocean between Hawaii and the Philippines, such as Guam, Samoa and Fiji.

Proximity to neighboring islands and the history of colonization throughout the region means that none of these cuisines live in isolation they have long adapted their own cuisines to the ingredients and influences arriving on their shores, often out of necessity.

While a smattering of deli-style counters and stores from South Seattle down to Tacoma offer typical Samoan food, the chefs at three local food trucks have found a new way to bring the flavors of their cuisine to Seattle: by refracting it through the lens of that quintessential American dish, the taco.

The owners of a Renton-based catering and restaurant group knew they needed to change things up to get through the pandemic. Combining the cuisines of their heritage, the owners came up with their own fusion of the foods of Mexico and Guam and started serving it from a truck mostly parked in front of the Yankee Grill, one of their other businesses. The name fuses Spanish and Chamorro, just like the food, and means more spice, which is not only about the food itself, but in the way they bring inspiration from their various homelands together into one kitchen.

Ms Pika

Now they roam all over the city and suburbs, serving Taconadas. Their signature dish takes the framework of a classic street taco, but using an empanada dough to make the tortillas, which they fill with Chamorro flavors like chicken kelaguen (a chopped chicken salad). They also make rice bowls with Spam or bulgogi, a burger served with kim chi and an egg, and a fiesta plate with hulihuli chicken, seasoned red rice, macaroni salad and pickled papaya.

Ed Leota and Ron Manning have operated the Taste of Samoa Manapua Bakery from their Tacoma storefront since 2017, serving a wide variety of Samoan foods. But when the pandemic interrupted the move to a new location, they had to form a back-up plan: take to the road, serving their unique Samoan taco creation.

Corned beef, charsiu and turkey tail tacos from Taste of Samoa Manapua Bakery

Starting this month, the duo reopened in their new, mobile form. Instead of a tortilla, they flatten the dough used to make their signature manapua and fill them with Samoan-style corned beef called povi masima and turkey phat (tail). The truck also serves a rotating selection of other dishes, like Samoan-style lamb curry, as well as the bakerys pineapple half-moon pies.

Taking their name from the Fijian word for three, these three brothers weave three elements of their heritage Indo-Fijian, Native Fijian and the Pacific Northwest into a taco stand. Once in regular rotation at farmers markets and events, theyve been just recently ramping back up with regular Friday and Saturday pop-ups at Georgetowns Machine House Brewing and Sundays at Tacomas Point Ruston Farmers Markets.

Tolu Modern Fijian

Tolu uses poori, a fried flatbread, in place of a tortilla, making for hearty tacos even before they drop in the chicken and potato curry and top it with tamarind chutney and pico de gallo. They also offer spicy soup and rice bowls, and occasionally add additional curry options including lamb or squash and everyone should keep their fingers crossed that they bring back some of the hits from earlier menus like the passionfruit cheesecake.

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Find the flavors of the Pacific Islands (in taco form) at these 3 Seattle-area food trucks - seattlepi.com