Every Sunday · 1:00pm · Lalomanu Beach
Sunday To'ana'i
Samoan Cultural Buffet Lunch
Eight dishes, one umu — cooked over hot stones in the Samoan earth oven and shared at the long table by the sea.
To'ana'i is the traditional Samoan Sunday feast, shared by family and the wider community after the morning church service. It is a cornerstone of Fa'a Samoa — the Samoan way of life — built around unity, relaxation and respect for elders. It is the day the family gathers as one, the village greets its visitors, and everyone eats from the same table regardless of age or status. Church first, then food, then rest.
Hot stones are laid in a pit and layered with banana leaves and the day's dishes, then left to steam and roast for hours. Everything on the buffet comes out of the umu with just two exceptions — the sapasui and the oka are prepared separately.
Why Only on Sundays
It is held on Sunday, and only Sunday, because of how much preparation it takes. Everything is gathered the day before: the taro from the garden, the coconuts scraped by hand for the cream, and the banana and coconut leaves woven ready to wrap the fish. Then, first thing on Sunday morning, the umu is lit — stones heated until they glow, the dishes layered into the pit and left to steam and roast slowly. Sunday is the day of rest in Samoa: the boats stay in and the plantations are left alone, and while the family is at the morning church service, the food is cooking. The meal is served at 1:00pm, giving everyone time to come home from church and gather at the table.
The Buffet
Eight Dishes from the Umu
Pork
Pork cooked slowly in the umu until it is tender enough to pull apart, smoky and rich from the hot stones.
Palosami
Young taro leaves and thick coconut cream, wrapped and baked in the umu until the leaves turn silky and the cream savoury.
Sapasui
Samoa’s chop suey — glass noodles simmered with chicken, soy, onion and vegetables. One of the two dishes not cooked in the umu.
Taro
Baked taro, the staple of the Samoan table — earthy and filling, and the perfect partner to everything else on the buffet.
Oka
Fresh raw fish cured in lime juice and dressed with coconut cream, onion, tomato and cucumber. The second dish not cooked in the umu.
Povi Masima
Salted beef, slow-cooked until it softens and gives its flavour to the pot — a Sunday classic that never leaves a Samoan table.
I'a Kao
Fish woven in banana leaves and coconut leaves, then placed in the umu. The wrapping holds the moisture in the flesh while the smoke of the earth oven flavours it.
Faiai Elegi
Fish baked in thick coconut cream with taro leaves and onion — a rich, comforting island favourite.
To'ana'i Rates
Buffet Prices
In-House Guests
Staying with us at Taufua
$30
Per Adult
$15
Per Child
Outside Guests
Joining us for the day
$50
Per Adult
$25
Per Child
Starts 1:00pm every Sunday · Reserve at reception