Global flavours under one roof

Businessman Hasan Khan would bottle the tastes, sights and smells of the whole world and bring them to you if he could.

But because he cannot, the globetrotting manager of Durban's Continental Butcher, Baker and Deli has had to content himself with recreating a few of his best experiences for his customers.

The latest addition to the shop, which has existed in various incarnations for more than 70 years, is an artisanal coffee bistro.

After spending 20 years on Ridge Road, the family-run shop has moved a street away to Argyle Road - and now has industrial-chic décor.

Khan, who is steering the image revamp, said: "We like to call the concept 'meatatainment'. Basically, what we are doing is taking the chore out of shopping for your meat and such, and making it entertaining.

"We've arranged the space so that you can order a meal and sit down at the coffee shop, or you can watch your pizza being made before you.

"With everything we do, we are moving towards artisanal products.

"We've taken some influences from international retail trends - we often get the comment that it's like stepping into a shop in Europe."

The store's new look includes an exposed steel ceiling, giant crystal chandelier and hanging copper light shades.

Concrete pillars and bare wooden surfaces add to the industrial feel.

The coffee shop is surrounded by huge glass walls to allow customers to watch the world go by while they enjoy coffee and cake.

"Basically, we did lots of research and we worked with shopfitters to get this look, drawing from things that were popular in certain countries."

The shop reflects things Khan has seen on his travels to Europe, North Africa and the Far East.

"I'm always observing different trends, tasting different cuisine, trying out different recipes," he said.

The eatery was originally started as a halaal wholesale meat supplier by Khan's grandfather, also named Hasan, near Howick in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands in the 1940s. Then came Khan's father, Mohiuddeen, who in turn passed the management of the shop to the 44-year-old, who jokes that he "basically grew up in the business".

When he was 24, Khan came up with the idea of making his grandfather's shop the first butchery to offer halaal processed meat products to its customers.

"I felt there was a niche in the Durban market. There were no processed meats available, even from the non-halaal butcheries," said Khan.

"We underwent training in Germany and Europe for that. Meat processing without pork was quite a challenge and that's what we introduced to Durban."

Now he is ensuring that the coffee shop becomes a prime destination in the city for a cup of java.

He loves the stuff and trained as a barista a few years ago. "You appreciate coffee for what it is and you get different flavours.

"Good coffee shouldn't be drunk with milk or sugar, because they camouflage the taste.

"It should be drunk black."

Khan buys his coffee beans from around the world and roasts them locally for freshness.

"Coffee is unique in that you need more than just the best coffee and the best machines to make it right. Your barista needs to be well trained, your beans need to be fresh, your machines have got to be good. None of that can be left out," he said.

Hasan Khan recommends:

For those with a sweet tooth, kadaifi - a Greek traditional dessert made of nuts, syrup, spices and pastry - or some traditional Arabic baklava.

"We do it the Lebanese way. We make the light pastry ourselves and use cashew nuts and ghee instead of butter. It gives it rich flavours, but it's not overly spicy."

If savouries are more your thing, Khan recommends the shawarmas and trademark pies.

"The wraps are different to what you usually find - ours are a fusion of Arab and Indian and come in a special bread we make ourselves. They are becoming increasingly popular.

"Our pies are legendary. Our lamb rogan josh is the first to sell out, then the chicken tikka and butter chicken pies."