Look no further!
I asked around among our Portfolio assessors who work throughout SA and these are the tried, tasted and tested best bunny chow outlets as recommended by the fans..,
(For the uninformed: a bunny chow is a curry (usually with meat and potatoes and lots of hot spicey gravy) served up in a half a loaf of fresh white bread. It is traditionally an Indian take away and so the home of the SA bunny chow is Durban. But these days you can get a good bunny chow elsewhere...)
KWAZULU NATAL DURBAN BUNNY CHOW HOT SPOTS
This from our KZN assessor Renee:
"While I haven’t had a bunny in years I can vouch for the following places. They are not fancy restaurants by any means, some are mere holes in walls, and very ‘local is lekker’...
Goundens is commonly known to have the best bunnies. Its in a dodgy part of town, between Sydney and Gale St. Canteen-style and frequented by workers in the surrounding industrial area and bunny aficionados alike.
The Britannia Hotel is also a favourite, especially during Friday lunch time. It’s in an historical building on Umgeni Rd, between the city and Springfield Park industrial area.
Govender’s House of Curries at Blue Lagoon, or ‘Lugs’ as the locals call it, may not have the best bunnies, but they do rate. This is where you will find half of India on a Friday and Saturday night, so it’s an entertaining spot to check out all the ‘ous’ with their souped up cars and sound systems..."
Marylou from our Newlands office spends a lot of time in Durbs and she adds:
Durban: Moyo at the Point Waterfront ........ unbelievable ......
Candice, also based in Newlands at our online reservations desk, also visits KZN quite often and she says:
- Orientals (central Durban)
- Govender's House of Curries (that's a second vote for them)
- Britannia Hotel (and another vote for them too)
GAUTENG AND JOZI BUNNY CHOW HOT SPOT
Carolyne from Portfolio's Johannesburg offices decided to try out her first ever bunny chow after I emailed her for nominations.
She sent in this photo of their order and says:
These are from The Raj in Rivonia – Lamb @ R 43.00 and Chicken @ R36.00 Mild, Medium or Hot (very hot) in ¼ bread with tomato and onion sambal.
Delicious :~)
One does for two unless you are 14 years old like our grandson who ate the whole thing in about 4 minutes flat!!!!
Carmen, our assessor based in Gauteng, says:
I have just came back from seeing Pula House in Smithfield - they have a cafe called The Frog and Princess and a few months ago they to put Bunny Chow on their menu (Brendon is from Durban and makes them) and believe it or not It's a true hit! The farmers order take aways most days :-) Unfortunately I have never tasted them, but I believe Brendon got the recipe from his mother in Durban.
CAPE TOWN BUNNY CHOW HOT SPOTS
Marylou, again:
Eden on the Bay - not sure if its called "inside lounge" or "outside lounge" LOL - next door to Tiki bar - almost positive its called Inside Lounge
Joy (that's me, the Travel Blog Editor):
For a genuine and cheap as chips bunny chow head to the Eastern Food Bazaar off Darling Street near the Grand Parade. R25 gets you a simply scrummy, massive bunny (seen below).
For a much smaller, more up-market but still yummy bunny, try out Knead's mini bunny. Knead is at Muizenberg Beachfront and in Dean Street in Newlands.
BEST BUNNY CHOW RECIPE
And sometimes you don't want to venture out on a cold night to actually find yourself a decent bunny chow - that's when it's time to make your own.
Although we recently posted a bunny chow recipe, one of our Twitter followers, talented Cape Town photographer Byron Rode sent in his own personal recipe...
'Easy Bunny Chow Recipe Without All the Sticks'
Ingredients (makes 2 half loaf bunnies)
- 60ml oil
- 1 onion chopped
- 500g chopped stewing beef/lamb (I use shin or frying steaks and cut the pieces myself)
- 1 tomato chopped
- 2 potatoes cubed
- 200 - 300ml water
- 1Tbl spoon chopped garlic
- 30ml strong curry powder
- 15ml chilli powder (you can use a chilli beef stock cube mixed into 100ml of the water if you don't have chilli powder)
- Salt to taste
- Loaf of bread, unsliced obviously, which I might add is not easy to come by these days :)
Cooking time 35 - 45mins
Method
- Heat up the oil in a large saucepan and fry the chopped onions with the spices until the spices begin to stick to the pot.
- Add the meat and brown the meat combining the spices. Add a bit of water to stop the spices from burning to the base of the pot.
- Once the meat is seared and browned add the tomatoes and potatoes and stir in the remaining water. Don't add too much water as you need the sauce to be fairly thick.
- Add the salt and pepper, stir and Cover and simmer on a medium heat for 20-30 mins stirring often so that it doesn't stick.
- After 30 mins check your potatoes to make sure they are cooked through and remove the lid. Add the garlic and more salt if necessary and cook for a further 5-10 mins allowing the sauce to thicken.
Preparing:
Cut the loaf of bread in half and scoop out the center, leaving a bread bowl. Add some curry half way up the loaf and add the scooped up bread.
Serve an enjoy. Forks optional :)
ABOUT "THE CHEF"
- Byron Rode is a 24 year old living in Cape Town with his 2 dogs.
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- Besides photography he runs a small web development agency called Eighty Six.
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- He is a tattoo enthusiast and a musician and he loves to write - and of course cook!
Check out Byron's photography
