Mum’s keeps Savusavu’s soul simmering
By Ernest Heatley
Along the small stretch of Savusavu’s sleepy main street stands one of the town’s most beloved institutions, a tiny restaurant with an outsized legacy.
Mum’s Country Kitchen doesn’t rely on modern décor or elaborate menus.
The inside is simple but once you’re seated, the delicious aroma of curries and freshly made rotis start teasing your taste buds. Far from an exclusive dining experience, this nondescript eatery offers something far more enduring: authentic Fijian-Indian home cooking served with heart and consistency.
For 35 years, this modest restaurant has fed market vendors, office workers, students, visitors, and town elders. Cruise ship tourists, yachties, farmers and families from neighboring villages all say the same thing: Mum’s is part of Savusavu’s soul.
Today, the woman behind the counter is Reshmi Lata, daughter of the culinary matriarch Sant Wati, and the custodian of a legacy that continues to define Savusavu’s food culture.
I caught up with Reshmi just as she was opening for business. It was soon obvious why the place is so popular.
A legacy cooked with love
Mum’s Country Kitchen opened in 1995 under Savusavu businesswoman Pettine Simpson who coined the name Country Kitchen offering kailoma styled meals like soups, stews and pies. It’s rise to local fame began in 1997 when Sant Wati – known affectionately as “Mum” – took over the tiny kitchen, adding ‘Mum’ to the already famous eatery’s name. Her curries would become legendary across Vanua Levu.
“When Pettine was running this place, it was very busy even then,” Reshmi recalls. “My mum always told me how full the restaurant used to be.”
But it was Sant Wati’s personal touch that cemented Mum’s reputation. She perfected a simple, unchanging menu: fish curry, lamb curry, chicken curry, roti, rice, dhal, chutney, and vegetable curry. Her South Indian cooking style was nurtured while growing up in Vunika, Labasa.
“Only this menu, nothing else. But still full,” Reshmi laughs. “People loved the taste.”
For more than 30 years, Sant Wati cooked every dish herself. As age caught up with her, she passed the business to her daughter.
“She just gave the business to me because she’s old now and has moved to Australia,” Reshmi says softly. “I’ve been running it for two years.”
Savusavu Town Council Special Administrator Shiu Shankar Singh has watched the town’s food culture evolve, and he believes Mum’s Country Kitchen stands alone.
“I think they are the best Indian curry place in Savusavu,” he says.
Would he extend that to all of Vanua Levu? “Of course. It is one of the best in Vanua Levu. I have tried in Labasa and many parts of Suva. They are still the best.”
He remembers Sant Wati’s hands-on cooking vividly.
“The lady herself, she used to cook herself. Any curries like lamb, chicken or duck, she cooked everything. She’s South Indian and she’s smart to cook. People loved her curry. It was always full.”
He smiles and concludes “It’s one of the best attractions of Indian spices in Savusavu.’’
A taste that crosses generations
Reshmi has kept her mother’s signature cooking style intact while expanding the menu slightly to include chicken and chips, sausage and chips, and a few Chinese dishes. Her customers still come from every corner of Savusavu society.
“All kinds, European, local people, market vendors,” she says. “Whether rich or poor, they all come here.”
Cruise ship days bring a flood of hungry visitors who make a beeline for the eatery, urged on by locals.
“Even yesterday the cruise ship was here. My restaurant was so full, even though it was Sunday,” she says proudly. “They love the curry.”
One feature that sets Mum’s apart is its flexibility. Unlike most restaurants in Fiji, Mum’s Country Kitchen offers half serves and caters for special orders, giving customers more freedom in portion size and taste preferences.
Ingredients are sourced from around Savusavu and Vanua Levu; as much of it as possible is organic.
Country charm and the best roti in Fiji
For Savusavu resident Lynn McLaren, Mum’s is as much about atmosphere as it is about food. She believes they make “the best roti and dhal soup in the whole of Fiji.”
“I like that it still retains a country feel to it. You can walk in and still see an iTaukei gentleman from a nearby village having his bilo tea,” she says.
“The small space adds to the kitchen feel of the place,” she adds.
“Not only that, the staff are extremely friendly, adding to the allure of the restaurant.”
Still simmering, still loved
After completing Form 6, Reshmi married, separated, and returned home with her three children. Her mother brought her into the business and taught her every step of the trade.
Her eldest is now in Form 3, her youngest in Class 7. For them, the restaurant is a symbol of stability, survival, and hope.
“Slowly, slowly we gonna move up,” Reshmi says of future expansion. For now, her focus is maintaining the foundation her mother built.
Open seven days a week, Mum’s Country Kitchen remains one of Savusavu’s most cherished fixtures. It represents simple food done exceptionally well. It reflects the grind and grit of hardworking women and evokes nostalgia for long-time residents while welcoming new visitors into its warm, aromatic space. As long as the pots keep bubbling, Fiji’s Hidden Paradise will always have a place where anyone – local or foreign – can find warmth, spice, and the unmistakable taste of home.
