Amawele's South African Kitchen Serves Amazing Curry

Get to Amawele's South African Kitchen early in the day, or you'll never get to try bunny chow.

On both of our visits, we waited behind South African businessmen who doubled up on orders: one to eat now, one to take home for later.

Twin sisters Pamela and Wendy Michaelson, who opened their tiny Rincon Center stand in early May, grew up in Durban. They prepare what they call the food of South Africa's townships and suburbs, a riotously flavored synthesis of African, Indian and European cuisines.

Some of the street-food dishes, like the frikadella (meatball) sandwich stuffed with fries ($8), taste as heavy as they sound. What you want to order instead: anything involving curry.

The moment you pick up your order of the Cape Malay chicken rice ($9), the aromas of cinnamon, cardamom and coriander will fling themselves at you. The bunny chow ($8.50) contains no rabbit; instead, the cooks hollow out a fat hunk of bread (a "bunny") and pack the hole with a saucy, golden chicken stew vivid with cumin, turmeric and curry leaves.

Good enough to double up on.