Manilal, left, and his brother Parbhoo Patel. They managed Patel's Vegetarian Room on Dr Yusuf Dadoo Street, formerly Grey Street.
Image: Amesh Patel
Durban’s Casbah will bid farewell to Manilal Patel, 83, whose family recipes for curries and bunny chows made their business, Patel's Vegetarian, an international attraction.
Manilal’s funeral will take place at the Clare Estate Crematorium on Saturday. He had been in the business since the age of 16 and was a familiar face behind the shop counter of steaming curries and sweetmeats.
According to the family history, Rambhai Morar Patel established the business in 1911. In 1932, Ranchod Rama Patel took over the reins, and by the 1950s, it was passed down to his sons, Manilal and Parbhoo. Manilal became the sole owner after Parbhoo died.
Shomz Sewnarain, who worked at Patel's from 2001, described Manilal as stern, dedicated to his business, and generous. Sewnarain said Manilal was in good health and worked in the shop, preparing meals and serving customers.
“He did a lot, not only for family, but even a person looking for something to eat won't leave the shop hungry. He always offered a sweetmeat to any child who visited his counter. He worked in that shop, sick or not. He would still move faster than some youth of today. We learnt a lot from him, which makes us who we are today,” he said.
“He lived a very simple life, pure vegetarian, simple meals, loved stuffed brinjal with potatoes curry that his wife used to make, which was his favourite. He travelled overseas once a year and took me along on two separate occasions. What a great memory.”
His nephew, Amesh Patel, said his family set the trend for curries from the 1950s.
“To my uncle, family was important. He was a simple, humble person and travelled extensively throughout the world. He was a man of few words, patient, and caring. To customers, Patel seemed like one of the staff because he had a cool demeanour and patient customer service from behind the counter,” he said.
With several key Casbah food eateries closing shop in the past two decades or relocating from the Durban CBD, Amesh said the driving force behind Patel's remaining open was the need to serve the community and cook affordable food for the people.
“The family still intends to keep going forward. My grandfather, my father, and uncle were part and parcel of the Bhania Chow, which later became known as bunny chow development in Durban,” he said.
Amesh said the shop featured in international news channels and documentaries, and some of the guests that came to the shop included Nic Hammond and Keith Floyd.
Manilal had one son and one daughter, while Parbhoo had two daughters and a son.
Manilal's son Ritesh acknowledged the messages of condolences the family had received from the public.
Mervyn Pillay, popularly known as Merv The Swerv From Durban, described Patel's as everybody's “chow” joint, irrespective of race, ethnicity, religion, or social standing.
“Uncle Manilal was always cool and calm. Catch and crush a bunny was always a thing, not just for town people, but for everyone who came into town. There were no malls, so you had to come to the Durban city centre to do your shopping. Condolences and sympathies to the Patel family,” Pillay said.
zainul.dawood@inl.co.za