Vasaqa Productions at Namaka market in Nadi offers street food with a Fijian twist.
“We brought in the concepts of street food that we only see online and made it accessible to anyone and everyone. The food that you can only view online, we want to bring that home” says Operations Manager, Benjamin Hussein.
Vasaqa Productions offers daily specials, delicious juices and is known for its spit roast, which takes 5-6 hours to prepare, but a fraction of that time to sell out.
The restaurant, which sits at the front of the market, exudes an artsy, vibrant, creative, and upbeat style. As we wait for our food to arrive—we decided on crispy chicken sandwiches and kumquat juices— I noticed the fun atmosphere between the workers, the banter back and forth, the super smiles they wear while making the food, and the mesmerising way their hands quickly move.
My eyes grew when I saw the plates of food heading in our direction. So far, presentation of the food: check, proportion: check, and now to the most important bit: taste!
I took my first big bite and closed my eyes as the taste flooded my mouth. I was in flavour heaven. I could taste sweet BBQ sauce, mayonnaise, the chicken was crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside, it just melts in your mouth.
The food comes out on tin plates, the kind I have not seen since I was growing up.
“The tin plates and the piala cups were ones we kept to remind us of where we came from, our restaurant in the market, and the only place you will find these is in the markets,” Ben said.
These humble sentiments are what keeps them grounded, despite their growing popularity in Fiji.
-Sera Tikotikovatu-Sefeti
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