Like many good things, it started by accident. Kendal Coward felt like a bunny chow. And so, writes Maggie Wittstock, he founded what has turned into a local institution.
“We were doing a cheque handover for the Round Table in Pinetown. I had the day off and we all felt like a bunny,” Coward says.
“I wanted to go to Hollywood Bets in Springfield, but the other guys wanted to go to a place nearby. We decided to go to Hollywood Bets the next Friday. And, once we’d done that, everyone said ‘Where are we going next week?’”
That was about two years ago. Since then, Coward, a Durban estate agent and inner-city property investor, his friend, Guy Hankinson, and various colleagues and friends have shared meals in interesting places around Durban.
They have even ventured into Soweto, but apart from that they’ve checked out scores of local haunts and in the process have become bunny chow connoisseurs.
“We meet at 12 on a Friday,” says Coward. “That’s generally when people seem to be winding down for the weekend.” Although he usually gets about 20 people confirming, there are always more who arrive. “When it gets closer to noon, they see if they can get a gap and join us.”
Everyone’s welcome to Bunny Chow Fridays and there are only two rules: no cutlery and no takeaways. “You’ve got to be there. We’re going to experience the place as well as the food, and cutlery, well, it’s better without it.” As his Facebook posts prove, there might be some stains!
Coward enjoys bringing different people together and is intrigued by how much economic activity there is outside the formal economy. Having read GG Alcock’s Kasinomics, his eyes have been opened to how active and big the informal market is.
Pressed to recommend a few favourite haunts, Coward emphasises that, for him, it’s about the vibe and experience, not just the food. Whether you’re going in a crowd, what time of the day or day of the week you visit, all those things make a difference.
But there are a few essentials to a good bunny. He always has a ¼ mutton which is plenty of food and you can usually have one with a mineral or beer for R100. There shouldn’t be too many bones, no “hidden” potato in the bottom, there must be enough gravy, and it has to have some heat.
Here are three of his best:
1. Happy Chappy: Mangrove Beach Centre, 13 Playfair Rd, North Beach. The owner, Jay Naidoo, is there every day and he makes the whole thing. You get a group of regulars having a 10 o’clock beer, while others come and go. You hear the call to prayer – it’s a different world on the edge of Mangrove Beach Centre.
2. TSD Ultra Lounge: 506 Chris Hani Rd, Park Hill, Durban North. Previously near the SPCA in Sea Cow Lake, it moved to the old FNB building in old North Coast Road. It’s got a nice outlook now and it’s a popular venue for events. We’re not there on the weekends, but I’ve heard their Michael Jackson impressionist is great entertainment.
3. Coconut Grove: 11 McCausland Crescent, uMhlanga. This venue is great in a big crowd, you can sit outside and enjoy Durban’s weather and walk up to the Village where the party is and can carry on into the early hours.
Durban’s Dr Yusuf Dadoo (formerly Grey) Street area is another favourite. Coward enjoys wandering the streets in the hustle and bustle of Durban’s inner city with numerous venues like Aunty Pam’s in the Victoria Street Market, Patels, Little Gujarat and Surat Vegetarian Delights around Grey Street where it all began and where one can have a meal for as little as R15.
Since starting, Coward gets a lot of recommendations and invites to new places which is what it’s all about. “For instance, last week I went to KNK Curries in Richard’s Bay for their fish curry, based on a recommendation. It was outstanding. I don’t operate off a list, and we are always keen to try somewhere new.”
Coward’s work takes him into the inner city where he says he doesn’t feel uncomfortable. He loves the South African word and the concept of ubuntu that embraces our differences and brings people together. He likes to mingle with different people and that’s often what happens at these venues. “Labourers, suited and booted lawyers, policemen, all kinds of people come and go, and everyone can sit and eat together.”
Thanks to his spontaneous foodie tourism, Coward was asked to invite his crew to Mojo’s Car Wash and Shisanyama in Chesterville, and the next invite is to visit Claremont.
An honorary game ranger with strong roots in Zululand, Coward’s next thing is to stop for crocodile on the road outside Empangeni. “I’ve eaten inhloko from the three-legged pots on the N2 and it was delicious. These guys are running a thriving business for truck drivers who can’t take their vehicles off the main freeway. The dish is made from the meat around a cow’s head and, according to custom, can only be eaten by men. “It’s from Shaka’s time, and is eaten to make men courageous and strong”.
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Contact: kendal@remax-panache.co.za