Goodbye Victory Lounge
The Victory Lounge has, over the years, attracted an assortment of customers who could not get enough of the freshly prepared meals, sweetmeats, savouries and confectionery. But on Saturday, the landmark store, in the heart of Durban’s
famed Casbah, closed its doors after 73 years in business, writes FAROOK KHAN
THE Victory Lounge in Dr Yusuf Dadoo (Grey) Street shut its doors on Saturday after 73 years and 11 days, and as a result, customers have had to say goodbye to its world famous braised mutton curry.
The Castle of Curry, at the corner of what used to be Victoria and Grey streets, has lost its most prized tenant.
There will no longer be cone ice-creams for the late-night worshippers who emerge from the Grey Street Jumma Masjid.
Neither will there be breadwinners queuing to buy Indian savouries to take home to excited families on a Friday.
There will no longer be pure milk burfee when families celebrate the birth of a baby or the cherished channa magaj, which made up a bouquet of sweetmeats presented to prospective brides.
The roasted spice peas, lentils ( channa) and bhajia (chillie bites) is no more, and so too is the crispy but fragile naan khatai (sweet biscuit) served with hot tea, and the array of confectionery, especially the queen cakes.
There will be no specially prepared boxes of sweetmeats for Eid and Diwali.
The tantalising aromas that wafted through the air, the telling tastes of black fish curry, braised mutton, dry chicken curries and an array of spiced vegetables all served with either roti or rice, is no more.
“Maybe someday, we might open another Victory Lounge. But right now, we are closed for business,” said Billy Moodley, who, with his brother, Vickey, were left with the business when the other shareholders passed on. Billy and his wife, Kanagee, handed the keys over to the new property owners.
This means all except just one restaurant is still doing business in Dr Yusuf Dadoo Street, and that is Patel’s Vegetarian Refreshment Room that started business in 1926.
As for the other eating places, like Peter’s Lounge, Simon’s Café, Kapitan’s, Princess, Taj Mahal, Bhagats and Rajput’s, they have closed a long time ago.
It was Billy’s father, Ramsamy Kisten Moodley, who, with six business associates, opened the Victory Lounge on June 6, 1944, the day World War II ended.
RK, as he was known, had dreams of making the Victory Lounge a five-star restaurant like Peter’s Lounge, which was about 300m or three blocks away from the CBD.
The Victory Lounge was destined to become only the second restaurant of its kind in Durban – to serve people of all colour.
Apartheid was rigidly upheld, but RK was ready to take on the authorities. White people, RK had said, wanted to eat the best curries, savour exotic tastes and enjoy the company of others regardless of race.
Then there were the people of colour, who wanted to dine out and be served by courteous waiters dressed in smart uniforms – their food served on genuine bone china plates with stainless steel cutlery.
When the doors opened, amid much fanfare, there were 80 staff members ranging from specialist chefs, bakers, confectioners and waiters.
The Victory Lounge had become famous for its braised mutton curry, which underwent a special process after being cooked to drain out the oils and enable the meat to be served dry.
For years the process was a secret until Billy revealed that once cooked, the mutton was placed on a giant wok-like utensil for the excess oil to drain.
It cost two shillings and six pence a plate or 25 cents for the first 20 years of its existence.
By the time the final day of business arrived, on Saturday, it cost R55. In the 1980s, a loaf of mutton bunny with salad cost R26.
At one time, it was said that 500 000 people moved daily through the Grey Street Complex, and that a fair number of them stopped for a snack, a cup of tea or a meal.
The food at Victory Lounge was class, and the high-brow – dressed in their finest – would turn out in numbers nightly during the first 30 years of business.
Among the top flight who ate there was famed golfer Papwa Sewsunker Sewgolum; Basil D’Oliveira, the Cape Town-born cricketer, who played for England; and Pearl Jansen, the first black woman from South Africa to take part in the Miss World pageant.
The menu offered a selection of Indian foods from the most elaborate of curries featuring mutton, fish and chicken, to the humble sugar beans. The desserts were the most decadent and each piece was a masterpiece crafted by gifted men and women.
Somehow, the sugar tasted sweeter at Victory Lounge.
The right time to secure what was called a full house was at 8pm, especially on a Friday and Saturday night. For the daily customers, they started lining up from 9am, when a fresh pot of braised mutton was ready to be sold.
A favourite fish in those days was the Striped Roman, also known as the 74 – only Victory Lounge could masala and fry it, and serve it as a hot take-away.
On Fridays at 5pm, factory workers lined up to be served with little packets of Indian savouries, which they rushed home to their families.
The Victory Lounge also had a US-styled Milky Bar, which served up milkshakes and ice-creams. The bar was kitted with a red vinyl top and stainless steel stools with red leather cushions. It was a style which came from Hollywood movies.
Yet outside on the pavement, it was Gangland RSA – as organised crime ruled with blazing guns, bloody running battles and murder.
Sheik Ameer, who had only just been acquitted of murder, was shot dead after emerging from the Victory Lounge.
It was here that the Handsome Brothers, known hit men, operated their pirate taxis.
The Crimson League controlled all the fahfee banks, which operated on the pavements. Outside the Victory Lounge, the Crimson League controlled the taxi parking bays.
Just metres across Victoria Street, the Salots controlled the six parking bays.
Then, of course, in the same building of the Victory Lounge was the Five Aces Gambling School, which attracted big city tycoons from throughout the country.
Among the notables was Johannesburg strongman, Sheriff Khan, Sonny Morgan, the Casbah’s first soccer superstar, and the mighty Zorro Khan, who shuffled and dealt a hand like nobody else could.
The Victory Lounge supplied the gentlemen of chance enough treats fit for a feast for royalty, and all of it paid in hard cash.