Durban’s delights
Lutho Pasiya looks into Durban’s soon-to-be thriving street food scene
THE Smarket Street Feast is slowly becoming one of the events that Durban’s food lovers have to attend. A fortnightly event, it takes place at 8 Morrison Street in the Rivertown Precinct and it’s a day of excellent food where you can taste a lot of street food all in one place.
Founded by Muhammad Seedat and Ameera Khan, the market has a vision of bringing a vibrant business hub to the city centre.
“With the variety of cultures found in Durban, the idea is to bring these cultures in the CBD of Durban to a market place; expressing the exuberance our great city has to offer,” Khan said.
“Situated in the heart of Durban central in a contemporary building, Smarket is a source of a trendy fashion, cultural artworks, mouth-watering cuisines and eyebrow-raising live entertainment. These ingredients make for a culturally charged experience for businesses and the public alike to sample Durban’s unique personality,” she added.
The Smarket Street Feast started gaining traction a year ago and has attracted thousands of people and over 30 traders.
Seedat said they found there was a need to give a platform to up-and-coming food traders to sell their products. “We felt that to have a food market in the inner city, especially with the whole trend of inner city rejuvenation, this would be the best place to have it – and it has been a great success.
“As a market that runs every second Friday of the month, people can expect great vibes, good food, drinks and good company. The market falls within our ethos which is to develop entrepreneurs within the city and that excites us more than anything else. This is the perfect model for market traders to make a lot of money and learn from each other, with some progressing to a level of getting their own shops or permanent premises. It is almost the perfect breeding ground for traders to test their concepts without spending a lot,” Seedat said.
Here are other street food outlets that Durban has to offer:
Afro’s Chicken
Having started in a trailer at ECR’s Durban Day at Moses Mabhida Stadium five years ago, Afro’s Chicken has become one of the most visited street food shops in Durban today. Three years ago the first Afro’s Chicken shop was opened in South Beach, serving cyclists, walkers, surfers. Famous for their chicken strips and chips, the local chicken take-away is aimed at bringing fresh, affordable and simple fast food to the people.
If you are not a fan of the strips and chips combo, there’s always the chicken burger, chicken salads, chicken wrap and chicken livers.
As they serve both breakfast and lunch, people are always walking in and out being welcomed by a salutation chant from the workers.
Emil Venter, owner and self-taught chef said: “I have always wanted to bring a truly local chicken brand to the market as it is the most consumed protein. Street food has become a new trend as it is good value for money. It is essentially good food at a good price – with chicken strips remaining the best-selling item.”
Food caravans have made life easier when it comes to buying good food on the streets. They may be looked down upon by some, but food containers are bigger than ever, offering different kinds of dishes for everyone. Located mostly next to taxi ranks, this type of informal trading makes food easily accessible
Speaking to Nontando Mtolo, 40, who owns Mtolo’s Kitchen on Greyville’s First Avenue, we found out that lack of employment was the reason she started a food caravan as a business in 2004.
“My husband and I were not working, hence I decided on starting a street food kitchen. Sometimes it is busy, and sometimes not, but judging from the number of people that come to buy each day I can say people enjoy street food more than food that you can buy from a top restaurant,” said Mtolo.
In the morning Mtolo arrives to prepare her meals so that when lunch time breaks the food is ready.
Mtolo’s Kitchen is reliable in that it accommodates working and non-working classes of people – from taxi drivers, the general public, business people, students and tourists. The fastest-selling dish is grilled meat with pap served with salads (beetroot, coleslaw and onion chutney).
Mtolo’s Kitchen serves a meal of shisanyama, or grilled meat and beans, with pap or rice and chicken or beef curry. Mtolo said she was never a person who loved cooking but after she opened her own street food restaurant her love for it developed and today she enjoys it.