Tuck into a good curry
NICE 'N SPICY: You can pick up all the ingredients for a DIY curry from Victorai Street Market in the Durban CBD.
Durban’s curries are worldfamous, but unearthing the city’s best curry is proving to be quite
a challenge. Everyone I meet has an opinion about where to find the tastiest bunny, bhuna and biryani.
One name keeps popping up, however: Britannia Hotel. I organise to meet my friend Rory
there for lunch. The hotel dates back to Victorian times, but over the years the building has been swallowed up by highway overpasses and car workshops. I find Rory seated at a plastic table in a windowess room next to a row of gambling machines.
The place is packed: office workers with their sleeves rolled up, building site managers in heavy boots and luminous safety vests, and a group of elderly gentlemen that look like they’ve just strolled off the golf course. I even spot ex Sharks rugby player Deon Kayser munching a bunny chow in the corner. That’s a good sign; all these people can’t be here for the décor.
Our curries arrive. Rory’s chicken masala is strong enough to strip paint, but my lamb chops in a mild tomato chutney gravy are delicious. With each mouthful, new flavours keep on popping up: a shave of ginger here, a zing of chilli there… Three hours later we reappear in the parking lot, blinking at the sun like cave creatures. The restaurant is still heaving. Do people do any work in this city?
Recipes to try out:
Danny's curry
Lentil curry
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