#Women'sDay: How a home cooking outlook transformed KwaDukuza's Mall Café
Munira's culinary journey began more than a decade ago. After years overseeing the outpatient department at Victoria Hospital in Tongaat, her husband Rafiq suggested she take over Mall Café, a struggling takeaway on King Shaka Street in the KwaDukuza CBD in 2013.
Munira initially managed the restaurant, but when the only cook left – she jumped in to help.
'I thought I'd try my hand in the kitchen. How difficult could it be?' she laughed.
That leap of faith turned into a decade of dedication, with some admittedly tough times through the pandemic and KZN Riots. But 10 years on, Munira is still in the kitchen, Monday to Saturday from 8am, preparing every dish herself. By 11am, the food is ready to be served.
'I cook with pride. I cook for people as I would at home – my customers are family,' she said.
The menu changes daily but always features two signature bunny chows. There's not a knife and fork in sight, just your hands to dip, pull and mop the finest tasting curry.
Every ingredient is handpicked daily from the market. Nothing is frozen or reused. Munira trims fat from prime cuts of meat, shells prawns and grinds her secret recipe masala fresh each morning.
The Mall Café's fame skyrocketed after the Bunny Chow Hunter, Yugan Naidu, a respected Indian food reviewer with 132 300 Facebook followers, visited and voted the restaurant number one in KZN for 2024.
'Yugan was blown away, saying my curry reminded him of his mother's,' said Munira.
With fans traveling from across the country, Mall Café is no longer just the talk of the town; it's the talk of South Africa. It also earned the title of Best Indian Restaurant in the Best of Ballito for 2025.
'I know my food's good, but this was a wonderful surprise to even be nominated, never mind win – it's humbling.
'Our food is authentic Indian food, the only extra I put in is love.'
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