Durban - There are a number of ways travellers and visitors can get a real taste of KwaZulu-Natal. The province is a “melting pot” of cultures, which means there is a fabulous variety of interesting cuisine and wholesome food on offer.
Greater Durban has a reputation of nourishing travellers that dates back to the Portuguese explorers who sailed along the east coast centuries ago.
One name for the city was Ponta de Pescaria – Bay of Fish. Wild game and birds and a plethora of edible wild plants were also abundant in the region.
Hot Stuff
KZN is well known for its excellent Indian cuisine and bunny chows. A famous Indian celebrity chef once told me the only places he would eat Indian food outside of India were London and Durban.
A good rule of thumb is to eat curry in a place that has a large Indian clientele. Just about everybody in Durban has a favourite, but one of the more popular Indian restaurants is The Britannia Hotel (Umgeni Road), which is always full of friendly Indian patrons, especially at Friday lunchtimes.
Vrushik’s Karma Free Food at North Beach is authentically Hindu vegetarian and some of the tastiest in Durban. For a more upmarket experience, try the Ulundi at the Royal Hotel which specialises in thali – small bowls of curry, accompaniments and condiments served on traditional brass trays.
For great Pakistani-style cuisine, Kebabish halaal food (37 Sol Harris Crescent, North Beach) is a good bet. The busy restaurant serves more as a take-away, although seating is available.
Two old Durban favourites are Little India and Palki, both in Musgrave Road and great for family outings. Along with the outstanding Indian Summer restaurant (17 Sunningdale Centre, Umhlanga Rocks), these two are the only ones in town that serve my favourite masala dishes, a large thin, rice-flour pancake rolled around a ball of potato curry.
Taj Mahal and the Spice Emporium in Pine Street, or Monty Naicker, (only open during the day, but worth a visit just for the experience) serve excellent chaat, great Indian snack food.
A Food Meander
A great way to spend a weekend is to take a slow drive along the Midlands Meander. Long associated with arts and crafts, the route has built a reputation as a KZN foodie destination.
At Hilton Farm Stall you can stock a picnic basket with delicious smoked trout, pickles, jams and preserves, cheeses, home-made bread and fresh fruit and vegetables.
The Grapevine Deli in Howick has yummy pies, fresh salads and sandwiches, delicious cakes and tarts and a range of home-made pickles and jams.
Granny Mouse Country House & Spa near Lidgetton has an award-winning menu and a great wine cellar, while Günther’s, overlooking the Caversham Valley, is a good place for authentic sauerkraut and German and Swiss sausages.
Caversham Mill Restaurant in Balgowan is popular not just for its good food, affordable prices and friendly service, but also for its setting, the site of an 1857 mill overlooking a little waterfall on the banks of the Lions River.
Swissland Cheese, also in Balgowan is known for its award-winning, ash-coated Drakensberg Brie and other excellent goats’ milk cheeses.
They prepare picnic packs to enjoy while the children watch the milking and feeding of goats.
Marrakesh Cheese Farm produces 15 different Mediterranean-style cheeses, Dargle Valley Pork is one of the best places in the province for smoked bacon and chipolata sausages, and Mad about Cows produces the most delicious ice cream.
Game Lodges and Good Food
A number of KZN’s upmarket lodges take pride not only in providing stunning game viewing experiences and opportunities to enjoy beautiful natural scenery but also in providing outstanding food and carrying excellent wine lists. Wonderful foodie experiences can be enjoyed at places such as Qambathi Mountain Lodge in the Kamberg Valley. This lodge on the border of the Drakensberg World Heritage site has been furnished with impeccable taste.
There’s a fireplace in the open-plan kitchen, hand-made furniture, an outstanding collection of art and wonderful food. They carry Abingdon Wines from KZN's only wine estate.
Down the road is Cleopatra Mountain Farmhouse, which has received world acclaim for its innovative, fresh menu.
Situated in Nambiti Private Game Reserve between Ladysmith and Dundee, Esiweni Lodge hangs over a waterfall. Robert Fowlds, the owner, is a knowledgeable historian and avid collector of wine with 400 to 500 bottles of about 50 different South African wines in his cool little cellar.
Nearby Nambiti Plains Lodge is also well known for its food and wine. Owned by the Fry family of Fry’s Vegetarian Food fame, it’s to be expected that the food is healthy and fresh. Breakfasts on the sunny deck are a delight.
Thula Thula is famous for a number of reasons, almost the least being the excellent food. This lodge that was the basis of the book The Elephant Whisperer. Owner Francoise trained as a chef in France and produces delicious “Franco-Zulu” food.
White Elephant Lodge in the Pongola Game Reserve bordering Swaziland provides not just an outstanding elephant experience (they work with the Disney Foundation on research), but also an outstanding culinary experience.
Farmers’ Markets
In recent years, it has become popular to shop for fresh produce at weekend farmers’ markets that have popped up. They are wonderful places to go to if you want a sense of local flavours or an excellent breakfast.
Shongweni Farmers’ Market (Saturday mornings only) in Assagay is perhaps one of the biggest, selling a wide spread of home-smoked bacon, organic chickens, fruit, vegetables and herbs, farm cheeses, fresh milk and juices, German home-baked goods, biltong and wine.
The Hellenic Market in Durban North prides itself in providing only food and related goodies produced in KZN, a great way to get a taste of things. It’s open on the last Saturday of the month at the Hellenic Hall.
Pietermaritzburg Farmers’ Market has everything one would expect, as well as plants, farm coffee, fresh eggs, home-made samoosas and vetkoek. Enjoy a Chinese take-away breakfast or a yummy breakfast on a bun.
Karkloof Farmers’ Market is a real foodie find with artisan bread, home-made butter and cheeses, organic honey, salads, jams and pickles. The Moroccan food stall is particularly popular.
On the other end of the scale, if you are interested in culture and food, is the Victoria Street Fish Market in Durban. This is the place for fresh fish straight off the boats, (but go early).
The Early Morning Market across the road is an institution in Durban, run from Mondays to Thursdays – with stalls selling almost every type of fruit and veg, as well as live chickens.
Beer Route
Craft beer has become a lovely addition to the tourist industry and visitors can visit a micro-brewery in almost every part of the province. Nottingham Road Brewery at Rawdon’s Hotel has Tiddly Toads and Pye-Eyed Possums to taste, while the Zululand Brewing Company in Eshowe has Zulu Blondes and other popular beers on the menu.
Shongweni Brewery outside Hillcrest has its own range and Robson's in Shongweni is growing.
It is possible to tour one of the most modern commercial breweries in southern Africa. Tours of SAB’s Prospecton West brewery are immensely popular.
You could also tour Congella United National Breweries and Ijuba United National Breweries in Dundee, commercial producers of traditional beer, and try the banana, vanilla or chocolate flavours. All are now exported throughout Africa. The tours end with an enjoyable tasting. - Sunday Tribune