Joburg's Best Bunny Chow

The bunny chow is a hollowed-out loaf of bread filled with curry. Invented by South Africa’s ethnic Indian community and traditionally eaten without a knife and fork, bunny chows are one of this country’s best-kept culinary secrets.

I ate my first bunny chow nearly four years ago, a week or two after moving here. The photographic evidence is comical – see pictures here. (Neela’s, the Melville restaurant that I wrote about in that post, has since closed.)

Bunny chows are a local specialty in Durban and some hard-core enthusiasts refuse to eat them anywhere else. I have eaten a few Durban bunnies (I’ll tell you about my most recent one in a future post) and they are indeed beyond compare. But there is a legendary Sandton dive, Curry-n-All, which is known to be the best place in Joburg to order a bunny chow. I went last week to see for myself.

A mutton curry bunny chow from Curry-n-All. Take plenty of napkins – you’ll need them.

Curry-n-All used to be located in a petrol station at the corner of Katherine Street and Grayston Drive. But my friend Louise and I showed up there and found the station boarded up. Fortunately there was a big sign notifying us of Curry-n-All’s new location in a strip mall two kilometers away.

Bunny chows are bit pricier here than at comparable joints in Durban – this is Sandton, after all. But R45 ($4.50) for a mound of perfectly spiced curry, crusty white bread, and a side of carrot and chilli salad is still a great deal. A serving of chicken curry with rice and dhal is also R45. Portions are huge.

I devoured my bunny – by hand – in less than ten minutes. I’m more adept now than I was four years ago.

I’ll be back soon for more.

Curry-n-All is at the corner of Rivonia Road and South Road, behind the Shell garage. It’s extremely busy at lunch, especially on Fridays. Get there early to avoid the rush. There are a few plastic tables outside but the restaurant is currently expanding and will soon have indoor seating.