Meet the couple serving authentic Tongan and Samoan food from their home
One high school memory I’ll never forget was a choir trip to Tonga. An island nation located near New Zealand, Tonga isn’t a common destination for American tourists, and I’m still unclear why my public school choir picked Tonga as a location for us to perform. But I’m glad it did.
Girls were split up into individual home stays, while the guys were put in a hotel. I remember deboarding the plane and being engulfed by the warm and humid night air before being ushered into a mini van with no doors and riding down bumpy roads, passing by many stray dogs and very noisy pigs. It was my first time (and hopefully my last) seeing cockroaches the size of a grown man’s palm. But it was also my first time experiencing a culture so vastly different from what I was used to and building friendships despite language barriers.
East Palo Alto is actually a sister city to the Kolofoʻou District in Tonga, and it’s where Bautista Sione Atu Latu and Lorrita Achica live and raised their five children. The married couple have been running a home-based Polynesian food business since 2023, offering Poly Plates for $25 on Sundays. Edwina Dueñas spoke with Latu and Achica to learn more about their business and Polynesian cuisine.
Stay tasty,
Adrienne
Simiz Kai Lelei brings Tongan and Samoan flavors to East Palo Alto and beyond
The family-run eatery serves “Poly Plates” rooted in tradition, community and a taste of the Pacific.
A new protein-packed Thai restaurant, Palo Alto foodie fundraiser and a controversial cafe closes
- Fast-casual Thai concept HolyShred has opened in the former Siam Thai space in Palo Alto.
- La Comida and Avenidas are hosting Flavors of Palo Alto Sept. 24 at the Mitchell Park Community Center. The fundraiser includes bites from 16 participating restaurants and live music.
- Chez Nous in Redwood City has permanently closed. The owner said she sold it to fund President Donald Trump’s unverified third-term run.
- Dumont Creamery & Cafe, a shop specializing in ice cream, boba, coffee and global desserts, is hosting its grand opening Friday in Sunnyvale.
- Feast and Floral in Redwood City is hosting a Wine Fair Thursday from 5:30-7:30 p.m.
- Meze Kebab in downtown Palo Alto is debuting its live entertainment program Friday with clarinetist Ismail Lumanovski.
- The Local Spot in Belmont is celebrating its one-year anniversary Saturday from noon to 5 p.m. with makers and food vendors.
- Korean-style salt bread pop-up Dear Bread Bakery is coming to Boba Bliss in Mountain View Saturday at 1 p.m.
Pork and mushroom curry doria at Demi
The creators of casual Japanese curry chain Demiya have opened an upscale yoshoku restaurant on the outskirts of downtown Palo Alto, and it’s proving to be very popular.
I arrived on a Tuesday just a few minutes before 5:30 p.m. to a line of eager customers waiting for the doors to open. The restaurant is quite small, and I was able to snag a seat, but if I had been a few minutes later, I don’t think I would have.
Demi doesn’t offer alcoholic options, and its menu is quite pricey (appetizers are $10-$22, entrees are $26-$42 and desserts are $12). I was intrigued by the Japanese carbonara ($30) and the Japanese hamburg ($38), so I asked the server what makes them Japanese. He replied that it tastes like regular carbonara and a regular hamburger patty, so I opted for neither since I wasn’t excited about spending nearly $40 on ground beef.
Instead, I ordered the pork and mushroom curry doria for a slightly more reasonable $28. It did take 45 minutes before the food arrived, but I’d likely attribute this to Demi being in its soft-opening phase (although I’m a proponent of offering a discount during soft opening to counterbalance service hiccups).
All this critique aside, the curry doria was fantastic. It was similar to risotto, with a rich and creamy curry sauce and incredibly tender lemongrass pork, as well as sausage, spinach and onion speckled throughout. A thick layer of broiled cheese sat on top, adding more texture and flavor.
If other dishes are as well-executed as the curry doria, perhaps the steep prices are justified, but I’d recommend giving Demi a few more months to work out the kinks before checking it out.
Demi, 407 Lytton Ave., Palo Alto; Instagram: @demipaloalto. Open Tuesday to Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 5:30-9 p.m., Sunday from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 5:30-9 p.m.
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Simiz Kai Lelei brings Tongan and Samoan flavors to East Palo Alto and beyondAugust 26, 2026 11:18 am
