In March, Lynette Govender and her husband Logan visited Durban, South Africa, a city they were born and bred in.
For the past 19-and-a-half years, Lynette and Logan, both 55, have lived in Australia.
For want of a better life, however, they had to give up some of the things that made them feel at home.
As a Durbanite, food plays a major role in making you feel at home, particularly a Durban style curry.
During their trip to SA in March, they spent seven days in Durban, visiting the Cornubia mall, north of Durban.
It was here that they sat down at Cafe Cuba to try the famous cylindrical bunny chow prepared by Chef Carl Reddy.
Lynette, who was speaking to IOL from Melbourne, Australia, said she is a member of the Appetite group on Facebook and first saw the Cafe Cuba bunny chow there.
Chef Carl's bunny chow was so good, that Lynette and Logan bought a bunny chow three days out of the seven they spent in Durban.
The first two were consumed in Durban, but the third bunny chow, well, the Govender's had other plans for it...
"We are always telling our friends at home about Durban curries and the taste of it. So we wanted to buy a bunny chow for them so they could finally taste it," Govender said.
The actual cylindrical bunny chow, in all its glory, did not get shipped to Australia, however, Chef Carl Reddy sold the Govender’s a deconstructed bunny chow.
Lynette's Durban instincts took care the rest.
"We froze the curry and packed it in a cooler bag with lots of ice packs. We could not take the bread because customs are strict with things like that.
"We also bought spices from Durban which they threw away, so we got lucky with the curry from the bunny chow because they allowed us through.
"In total, we must have flown for 25 hours. And when we got home, the curry was still in good condition. It wasn’t defrosted or anything like that. The ice packs were sufficient," Govender said.
When Lynette and Logan arrived back in Melbourne, they served Chef Carl Reddy's food to their friends, who enjoyed every bit.
The potatoes in the curry, however, was not as fresh it was the day they ate the bunny chow in Durban, Lynette explained.
"Everything about the curry was still beautiful. The flavour, the taste, how soft the meat was. The spices used was completely different to what we get here.
"It was just the potatoes that were soft. But that's understandable because we froze the curry," she explained.
"We got bread from a bakery here and served the curry from Durban."
After tasting Chef Carl Reddy's food, Lynette said her friends wished there was an establishment in Melbourne that sold food that good.
"Bunny chows are now a craze here, mainly in Perth. I think because of the large Indian population. But it's also growing here in Melbourne," Govender said.
IOL spoke to Chef Carl Reddy about the dish that flew across the globe to tantalise taste buds in Oceania.
IOL previously reported on his cylindrical bunny chow. It was during this interview that he mentioned the story about Logan Govender and his wife.
“As a chef this makes me very proud to know that my food is enjoyed worldwide, it bring great joy to know that our food is travelled abroad,” he told IOL on Thursday.
“This stands to reiterate that indulgence of flavour prides itself on customer great flavour, food of the highest standard and customer satisfaction.”
Chef Carl Reddy said he is looking forward to opening up more restaurants abroad to introduce people to the flavour of Durban.
What makes this bunny chow even more special, is that it was the first Durban curry to be prepared in Durban kitchen to enter Australia’s border.
IOL