A 21-year-old former Durban eatery has found a new home in the heart of Sandton, Gauteng.
Saagries House of Curries, the former Marine Parade restaurant on Durban's beachfront famous for its crab and prawn curries, prides itself on having hosted all four of South Africa's post-apartheid presidents.
It was established by restaurateur Eggie Naidu and named after his wife, Sunthra Sagrie. "We opened in 1988 and fell deep into the 1990 depression, but our timing was perfect for former president Nelson Mandela's release and the new South Africa," said Naidu.
He also said Madiba enjoyed chicken biryani or dhal and rice followed by soji.
"Our core business was government and corporate guests. But we found that half of Durban now lives in Johannesburg so we closed down and relocated in December last year," he said .
The restaurant was also noted for a colourful mural by Nanda Sooben. It depicted the journey of the South African Indian heritage, from indenture to the reign of Mandela and Jacob Zuma.
A new mural has been designed by a Johannesburg-based artist known as "Papas". This one depicts a number of Durban landmarks, including the Grey Street Mosque and the Umgeni Road temple, as well as local personalities such as South African cricketer Hashim Amla and Ela Gandhi, among others.
The former American Express Platinum and Diners Club International winner prepares authentic north, south and South African Indian cuisine based on Sagrie's original recipes.
According to Naidu: "Indian cuisine is the most abused food in the world because there is so much confusion and outside influence. It's not about the heat but rather about the combination of flavours."
He said the serving of sambals - banana and coconut - with Indian food was aWestern influence from the Raj days, when British soldiers tried to find a way to douse the heat of the spicy food.
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