Bunny Chow in Durban, Cafe India

Our latest travelog to Durban in 2013 shows what a truly delicious bunny chow really looks like. 2013 saw us back in Durban after three years and, of course, I had to go and find the most delicious bunny chow available. My dad knew of place (Cafe India) in Sea View (a suburb of Durban) that had won a few Bunny Chow awards so I decided to head out there to sample their quarter-mutton bunny chow - and it was awesome. The great thing about it was it cost R45.00, which is incredibly cheap compared to food in other parts of the world (especially for the quantity and the quality you are getting). As you will see, the owner Devon is a really friendly guy and takes pride in his work and this pride is reflected in the taste and quality of the food he served to us.

Quarter Mutton Bunny Chow

Food Porn @ Cafe India - Be warned....

Cafe India Owner Devon and Me

Cafe India is located at 531 Sarnia Road, Sea View, Durban. It is a small shop on the side of a petrol station and serves a variety of delicious Indian foods. We would have loved to have tried so many more items off the menu but time didn't permit and all we got to try was the quarter mutton curry bunny chow. So what is a bunny chow? We have written about it before (see Bunny Chows in Taipei @ Toast Bar and Bistro), but essentially it is a hollowed out piece of bread filled with curry of your choice and ideally eaten with your hands. You can read more about bunny chows at the Wikipdeia Bunny Chow page. The video below is a good introduction to the restaurant.

As you can see from the video, Devon is a pretty cool guy and the restaurant is clean. The food is also awesome and I meant what I said at the end: I was in heaven. The spice mix was just right: wasn't too spicy and didn't kill me when I ate it. And I loved the chunks of meat falling off the bone. I am sure the rest of the food on the menu is pretty delicious too.

Memories of Bunny Chows

Me and my Quarter Mutton @ Cafe India

For me bunny chows are a nostalgic experience. During my university days my friends and I would often order a full loaf bunny chow and hunker down and eat it together. Its a long time since I have done that but the memories of those awesome social times are still very real. Bunny chows were cheap lunch options at university and so I had them often, even if eating alone. Bunny chows were also the food of choice after a night out on the town in those student days. We would go party, have fun, have a few drinks, then in the early hours of the morning go to our local bunny chow take away, grab one and head out to the beach to enjoy the sunrise. Those were the days! Now, living half a world away, finding bunny chows is almost impossible (although there are now bunny chows available in Taipei - see Bunny Chows in Taipei @ Toast Bar and Bistro).

Definitely for Tourists

Quarter Mutton Curry Bunny @ Cafe India

Of course I believe no visit to Durban is complete without eating a bunny chow. Bunny chows are a unique Durban dish and not as readily available in other parts of South Africa. The bunny chows represent the cultural diversity of Durban and, if you are a traveler in Durban, you need to eat at least one during your time there. Bunny chows are readily available at most Indian takeaways in and around the city. Just look out for the adverts and you will be sure to find one somewhere very quickly. The one we tried this time was at Cafe India on 531 Sarnia Rd. Apparently the bunny chows served from this shop have won a few awards and they were absolutely delicious. Another famous bunny chow place is the Brittania Hotel but I think any store would be suitable - if only for a one time try. And note, you can get different flavors that do include vegetarian, chicken and fish curry.

Anyway, it was an awesome bunny chow and absolutely glad we had the opportunity to sample this delicious Durban treat once again. I will be sure to go back to Cafe India next time I am in Durban to try all their other delicious items on the menu.