Govinda’s Restaurant
Where: Hare Krishna Temple, 50 R K Khan Circle, Westcliff, Chatsworth
Open: Daily 9.30am to 4pm
Call: 031 403 4600
It was a most unusual Women’s Day with a trip to the Hare Krishna Temple in Chatsworth. I had passed it many times and always wanted to visit, and to try the many vegetarian food offerings the restaurant produced, much of it donated by or produced by devotees.
So, friends Vivek and Sarita and the whole Mathur family and I set off.
The temple is beautiful. We timed it for when the altar was open and could view the deities. There was singing and chanting as I marvelled at the impressive paintings and murals that tell Lord Krishna’s life story. It’s an inspirational place.
Colleague Wendy Jasson Da Costa tells me it’s especially beautiful at sunrise as the early morning light hits the frescos on the ceiling. Apparently there are prayers at 4.30am and many devotees will remain afterwards chanting to enjoy the rising sun.
The restaurant and gift shop are downstairs, underneath the temple.
The set-up is more canteen, with no service but everything on tap, so to speak. There was quite a queue to get to the food which was dished up in bowls from a serving counter. There’s an array of options including sandwiches, sweetmeats, curries, breyanis, roti and chipattis.
We went to book a table, leaving the food choices in Vivek and Sarita’s hands. In the dining room, you help yourself to plates and knives and forks. There’s a microwave if you would like to reheat anything, although there was no need. There were large tables of families enjoying their lunch together. It was convivial.
They brought back three trays covered with bowls of food, all interesting.
We had the last portion of veg breyani, which was nicely spiced, although mild. In fact, all the curries were mild, so there’s nothing to fear here. The paneer came in a good tomato chutney. There were dishes of spiced jackfruit, which Vivek tells me is known as vegetarian meat in India. The jackfruit is the largest tree-borne fruit in the world and weighs up to 40kg. It looks like a large, lumpy gourd and has a thick rind. Apparently it’s a mission to prepare, and yes it was suitably meaty. I enjoyed what Vivek said was an “acquired taste”.
I also enjoyed the potato and chickpea curry, topped with a good dhal, while the soya fish curry was interesting. Not being a great fan of soya products, I liked this, mainly because it was coated in all the right ingredients of a traditional fish curry, with a lovely deep tomato and tamarind sauce complete with curry leaves. And the soya could sort of pass as fish. At least it wasn’t rubbery.
Other options we didn’t try included a spinach, or a mixed greens dish, and something that looked like mashed butternut, carrots or pumpkin. I was impressed at such varied vegetarian options.
We finished with a bowl of lovely buttery soji, with a good hit of cardamom, and made with ghee. I am sure Lord Krishna, a lover of ghee, would approve. It was nothing like the stodgy stuff served up in so many restaurants. Thankfully, it wasn’t pink or green either.
It reminded me so much of the beautiful soji my friend Rekha would bring us when we were at university in Pietermaritzburg. In fact, all the food was reminiscent of Prabha Nathoo’s vegetarian kitchen in Mountain Rise. Ginger was grated, spices were ground from scratch, ghee was made from butter… No cheats or quick fixes.
We were more than satisfied.
The bill for a mountain of food that amply fed five of us, including five bottles of water and some takeaway containers for the leftovers, came to R550, less than many restaurant bills per head.
This weekend, the temple is celebrating the Sri Krishna Janmashtami, with festivities today centred on the appearance anniversary of Lord Krishna. The events at the temple are from 10am to 1.30pm. Enjoy a substantial vegetarian meal afterwards.
PS: Note to self... if you think you may have to take your shoes off to enter a temple, don’t wear socks with holes in them.
The Independent on Saturday