It tasted like Aya’s mutton curry.
Since meeting Yuven, I’ve developed a taste for mutton curry – More specifically a mutton bunny (I’m generally more of a pasta lover). With Durban’s menopausal weather changes, Thursday’s weather had us craving a hot, spicy mutton bunny. We recently read a glowing review of Ruciyana Restaurant on Facebook, and judging by the pictures and descriptions we knew we had to make a pit-stop some time, and yesterday was the ideal opportunity. The weather was a bit on the chilly side which suited an equally contradictory piping hot curry, and we were both starving after work.
Facebook and Google lists their address as Protea Mall, Lighthouse Road, Umhlanga Rocks, and we mistakenly assumed that it would be on the inside of the building, however, they are situated at a perfectly accessible location that can be spotted from the drive down toward Umhlanga Village, directly above the new KFC. After a walk around and quick call to the restaurant, we were on our way to satisfy our cravings.
Turning the corner into Ruciyana Restaurant we were greeted by uncluttered space and the beaming face of a waitress who gave us free reign on somewhere to park our behinds. We were instantly drawn to the three-seater on the balcony which provided us with a scene of the entry point into Umhlanga Village, with its hundreds of faces all rushing to their respective destinations, and gave us some privacy to converse with each other.
The restaurant is quite simplistic in design, with the tables along the side of the wall so that you wouldn’t have to weave your way through should it be necessary for you to go to the counter. The tables have just the necessities – Condiments. Which leads you to thinking that this is a fuss-free restaurant that caters for people on the run. We are also big advocates for neatness and hygiene, which we did witness, however, we unfortunately did not take notice of wash basins since we had our own sanitizer and wet wipes.
Our waitress was at our side in a jiffy, with a menu in hand, but as typical foodies we had studied the menu online and already knew that it would be quarter mutton bunny to share. In a matter of seconds the owner approached us about their current special: Two quarter mutton bunnies for R99! But we stuck with our shared quarter. Unfortunately Ruciyana Restaurant does not serve alcohol, but we are satisfied with anything thirst-quenching, so a Coke was our accompaniment. After all, a Coke and mutton bunny are two peas in a pod.
Our waitress brought our Coke with two glasses and paper straws because #WithdrawTheStraw can be difficult sometimes. She even poured them out for us – It’s the little things that matter. Our bunny was brought in with a flourish, and anyone without self-control would have attacked it before grabbing a picture. It was oozing hot gravy and meat into a delectable puddle, with a carrot and tomato salad on the side. Dipping soft bread into the curry didn’t give you 3rd degree burns, but it was hot enough to give you the warm fuzzies.
Swabbing the plate for extra gravy, a piece of meat and potato, and gobbling it down in one fluid motion took me right back to my granny’s mutton curry, but without all the extra oil. This curry tasted homemade, which was a startling thought when a White guy in a chef’s apron popped by to ask us how the food was. The owner made his second appearance within a few minutes, together with a woman at his side, to also get some feedback from us. He explained that the recipe was his own, and wanted our honest opinion so that he could make improvements if necessary. He even offered to bring us a new dish made from scratch should we be unsatisfied with the current one. We had no complaints at all, and were super chuffed with our quarter mutton bunny at just R 65!
The bunny had an overwhelming amount of gravy that coated anything in its path; the potatoes did not attempt to take over the dish and were soft; and the meat (save the best for last) was not in huge boney chunks, but were cut like your mother would at home when she is cooking. It was also not tough and chewy, but cooked to perfection. In hindsight we do regret not suggesting a bit more spiciness in the curry, especially for those extra cold days.
Our experience at Ruciyana Restaurant was a notably pleasant one – We had delighted in our food and had been the audience to exceptional service. We also rejoiced in the fact that local restaurants were keeping to such top-notch standards, and have every hope that it will continue in that way. Our meal for two totaled just R 90, taking into account our drinks, which is a bargain, but as usual that’s just in my opinion 🙂
