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Cafes
A number of notable
restaurants arose in the Grey Street area. These included Simon′s
Cafe, Goodwill Lounge, owned and run by Pompie Naidoo who brought overseas
and local jazz musicians to perform there. Patel′s Vegetarian Restaurant,
Kapitan′s Balcony Hotel and G.C. Kapitans were also well known restaurants.
Later on came Victory Lounge. It was here in the Grey Street area that the
famous "bunny chow" originated. The "bunny chow" was an invention born of
the City′s racist regulations. African people were not allowed to
served in Indian restaurants but had to resort to take-aways. As a result
the practice arose of serving curry in a section of bread with the centre
scooped out. Over time this became known as the "bunny chow" and became
a popular take-away.
Kapitan's Balcony Hotel
Kapitan′s Balcony Hotel was opened by Ranchod Kesur Kapitan in around
1924/25 on the corner of Grey Street and Victoria Street. Ranchod′s
father, Kesur Jivan Kapitan had arrived in Durban from India in 1887 to
set up business here. Kapitan′s Balcony Hotel started out as a vegetarian
restaurant to cater for Indian immigrants. The restaurant occupied the ground
floor as well as the first floor of the building at 189 Grey Street. Ranchod
Kesur Kapitan went on to open a branch of the restaurant in Johannesburg.
Kapitan Balcony Hotel became a landmark in the Grey Street area and was
extremely popular as a gathering place. Kapitan Balcony Hotel was also well-known
for its sweetmeats which were in demand even in India. The story goes that
the sugar produced in South Africa gave the sweetmeats in this country a
unique taste, hence the demand in India. Kapitan Balcony Hotel attracted
many famous patrons such as John Schlesinger, Ken Gumpu, and Curtis Cokes.
The Johannesburg branch was one of Nelson Mandela′s favourite restaurants
before his incarceration in jail. Kapitan Balcony Hotel closed in 1977.
Ratilal Ranchod, who had become sole owner in 1952, then joined the Divine
Life Society to do community and religious work.
G.C. Kapitan Vegetarian Restaurant
Ganda Chagan Kapitan opened G.C. Kapitan Vegetarian Restaurant at 154 Grey
Street in 1912. At this time the restaurant was based in a room in a wood
and iron building. Like Kapitan Balcony Hotel, G.C. Kapitan Vegetarian Restaurant
was well known for its vegetarian meals and sweetmeats. It was frequented
by working class people as well as prominent figures. G.C. Kapitan Vegetarian
Restaurant counted amongst those who had savoured its speciality, the "beans
bunny", Indira Gandhi, Yusuf Dadoo and Monty Naicker, Ahmed Deedat and footballer,
Bruce Grobelaar. G.C. Kapitan′s was noted as a place where one could
get a good meal at a reasonable price. G.C. Kapitan Vegetarian Restaurant
closed in 1992 when the owners of the building cancelled the lease, as they
wanted to renovate the premises and use them for other purposes. The restaurant
had operated for 80 years.
