Eatery eKhaya's African food selection offers a distinct taste of home

An unlikely byway in Durban's CBD hosts eKhaya Foods - the new go-to, home-style eatery for city professionals.

Founded by entrepreneur Nkosikhona Mkhize, the casual dining restaurant is the latest of his ventures to mine his cultural heritage for inspiration. He is one of the brains behind a popular string of Durban natural hair salons.

eKhaya means, literally, "home", a theme reiterated by the décor choices - a vinyl sticker slogan; a woven grass mat with the words "feel at home" adorning the walls; and the meal-time rituals to which patrons are treated when they step through the doors.

As soon as we are seated we are offered an ukhamba (Nguni clay pot) of complimentary cold amahewu, a fermented drink made from mealie porridge. It is refreshing, filling and probably as popular a KwaZulu-Natal meal substitute as ramen noodles are in other parts of the world.

The custom of offering amahewu as a welcome drink to guests, my older companion explains to me, is a long-standing feature of Zulu etiquette and still common practice in some parts of KZN.

I'd have loved to have sampled my first choice of liver and onion platter, a tricky dish to pull off but so worth it when cooked by someone with skill, but unfortunately it was already sold out for the day.

They prefer to buy only enough stock for the day's menu and cook it in small quantities daily, explained our waitress. The upside, I suppose, is that customers can count on the freshness of their food.

I settle for a half portion of the steak and wors platter, served with three sides - tomato and chilli sambals, spicy chakalaka and, inevitably, grated beetroot.

My companion orders samp and beef curry.

Our food arrives carefully presented.

My perfectly medium-rare mixed grill comes with carrot-flecked pap, served the traditional way on a wooden board. The meal is warming, faultless, memorable.

In addition to their professional training, chefs Zola Zulu and Sthe Zungu obviously have the legendary "hand", a colloquial term for the belief that cooking well is a knack with which few are blessed.

My companion's gamble on savoury samp and beef curry pays off. The texture of samp usually puts me off ordering any for myself but the samples my dining companion allows me are well-seasoned and almost buttery, made all the better by the richness of the beef curry which accompanies them.

I would happily eat this samp over my own any day - but I'd still rather order something else the next time I pop into eKhaya.

TIP -OFFS

When to go: Weekdays between noon and 2pm are when you’re most likely to get what you have a hankering for before it sells out.

Who to take: Your international friends or clients when you want to treat them to a comfortable, low-key cultural experience.

Good to know: eKhaya delivers in the Durban central area. Call 076-875-8445. They do breakfast too.

How much do you need: Student staples like vetkoek range from R4 plain to R15 with polony, chips and cheese. Other than that, R30 to R55 should buy you a good meal.

Address: Shop 52 Albany Grove, next to the Albany Hotel by the Playhouse Theatre.

• This article was originally published in The Times.