The Bunny Hop

bunny chow, South Africa

World Fare Bustaurant, Los Angeles County (CLOSED)

Chicken curry bunny chow

Bunny chow does not come in a bag labeled “Purina”, nor is what Glenn Close was cooking in “Fatal Attraction”; in fact, despite a variety of preparations, it doesn’t appear to contain any rabbit at all. Bunny chow originated as a quick, handy and sloppy street food in Durban, South Africa and popularized by Indian migrant workers. The closest thing Americans can relate to would be the sourdough chowder bowl, except the bread is a loaf of white bread and the filling of choice is curry (originally vegetable, but gradually adding in meats). Although bunny chow’s popularity has spread throughout South Africa, Durban is still the bunny chow capital and since 2004 has been the host of the annual Bunny Chow Barometer, a contest sponsored by Coca-Cola in search of the best in the city. Bunny Chow is generally ordered by the amount you want and the type of curry (for instance, you could get a quarter chicken or a half mutton). The chunk of bread removed from the loaf and placed on top of the bunny is called the “virgin” (unsoiled by the decadent curry), but it generally doesn’t stay virgin long. Bunny chow is the perfect street food, essentially a self-contained meal that’s hearty and filling.

The World Fare Bustaurant

Bunny chow as street food has come to America and is the main offering of the unique World Fare Bustaurant food truck in Los Angeles County. The term food truck really doesn’t apply here – like Tom Jackson’s Rescue Juice fire truck, World Fare utilizes an unusual vehicle for their rolling kitchen and dining room: a double-decker bus. Owner and South African expatriate Travis Schmidt and his partner Jason Freeman purchased an old tour bus in San Diego and converted it into a two-level dining experience. Don’t expect a candy-apple red bus like you’d see barreling down the streets of London; the brown behemoth is covered with a map of the world made from a collection of photographs, and if you look closely you will recognize people in the pictures. The entire first floor has been converted to a full kitchen where nothing is impossible; creating the South African specialty is the job of Southern Californian Chef Andi Van Willigan, whose resume includes a stint as corporate executive chef for the Michael Mina Group and serving a 2-season sentence as Gordon Ramsay’s sous chef on Hell’s Kitchen. After ordering and picking up your food at the window, you can eat on the street as the South Africans do, or on the converted upper deck; lately World Fare has been experimenting with having live music with the performers serenading diners from the second story.

Bunny chow!

The signature menu features four types of bunny chow: braised short rib, chicken curry, BBQ pork and a vegetarian chili. The bunnies are small, but not bite-sized, with the filling stuffed into a dinner roll-sized bread bowl; the virgin has been replaced by the crusty cap of the bread. You can get them individually, or opt for a combo with a side of fries or the truffle mac and cheese balls. If you’re going through the trouble of trying the bunny chow, do yourself a favor and get the mac and cheese balls. Not particularly South African in nature, these golden globes are breaded and fried and every bite feels like home. For the most part, the bunny fillings are somewhat on the artisan side, but if you want to get close to traditional, opt for the chicken curry. As you sink your teeth into it, the flavors from the coconut milk, garbanzos, cashews and cilantro do a dance in your mouth. It may not be historically accurate, but damn, it’s good. Daily offerings with influences around the world are listed on the blackboard – I’ve tried the wine-braised short ribs and the salmon with strawberry salad, which were both beautiful and delicious. These were served on dishes made from the woody part of the palm frond that connects to the tree and with biodegradable utensils.  You can wash your meal down with a cold strawberry basil lemonade or an orange lavender tea, but I recently tried a new cold, naturally sweet and zesty blueberry mint tea that I hope stays on the menu for awhile.

There’s nothing like trying international street food in its native setting, but if you can’t swing the airfare to South Africa to try the bunny chow, you can let it come to you in style on the World Fare Bustaurant. As long as they’re evolving the bunny chow, maybe they’ll add one chock full of Bugs and Thumper…

GALLERY: See images of bunny chow and other dishes from the World Fare Bustaurant