The Hyatt Regency in Cape Town has launched a philanthropic program linked to their 126 Cape Kitchen and Café, where 10% of sales of their Cape Malay Buffet every Friday to Sunday will be donated to Gift of the Givers.

On a gloriously sunny day, in honour of this initiative, Hungry for Halaal was invited to lunch. Maryam Rumaney attended and got to realise a childhood dream by meeting Dr Imtiaz Sooliman who was to be the guest speaker at this event. Upon arrival, guests were warmly welcomed and seated. The ambiance was inviting, and the waitrons were attentive to the needs of the guests. The ratio of staff to the number of tables was optimal and ensured that the lunch service ran smoothly.

Lunch was a Cape Malay inspired buffet that consisted of a savouries station, with samosas, daltjies, bread and papadums. This was accompanied by an array of dips and condiments such as achars, a mint chutney, a brinjal dish and tzatziki. There was a salad bar where you could make your creation. True to the Cape Malay style, the savouries evoked flavours of culturally unique spices and brought back memories of my childhood of treats served to me by the mothers of friends and neighbours. The buffet had a good variety in dishes, and I appreciate that it was not overwhelming in the number of options on offer. The size of the variety was thus optimal and allowed the guest to savour a taste of everything. The buffet caters for vegetarians and pescatarians too.

The mains included six different warm dishes, which was (1) vermicelli rice, (2) grilled vegetables, (3) seafood paella, (4) a coconut and potato curry, (5) dhal fry, and (6) butter chicken. The vermicelli rice was just divine! I could have eaten it on its own. It had raisins, coriander and fried onion. The flavours merged so well, creating something truly flavourful. I am a fan of grilled veg, and the variety of vegetables in this dish made me quite happy. There were mushrooms, stemmed veg, various potatoes and peppers. It was seasoned and grilled to perfection.

The paella had generous helpings of seafood, and I laid on the prawns – which is always my preferred protein. The coconut potato curry was a good vegetarian option and delighted the tastebuds. The dhal was good, which I had with the papadums. The crunchy texture elevated this dish.

The Cape Malay spin on the butter chicken was most definitely the “old faithful”. You can’t go wrong with this dish. It was creamy and tasty, and it did not disappoint. There was also a carving meat station. You could request a slice and douse it with gravy. The meat was cooked to perfection and was juicy and flavourful.

The highlight of the lunch was the guest speaker, who delivered a soul-touching talk. The founder of Gift of the Givers, Dr Imtiaz Sooliman, spoke about his journey since establishing this remarkable organisation. Gift of the Givers is a South African non-governmental organisation and disaster relief group, and Africa’s largest independent humanitarian organisation. It was established to offer disaster relief and response, together with other humanitarian work, with the aim to reach people worldwide.

Guests were enthralled by his talk, and he left many pearls of wisdom. He spoke about his missions, the miracles that have followed his journey, and the importance of spirituality. He further mentioned how Gift of the Givers can reach every corner of the earth and help where needed, while still maintaining the utmost of humility when serving humanity.

Dr Sooliman’s journey is indeed profound and is a sounding board of inspiration for us to be the change we wish to see in the world. He spoke about how great South Africa is, despite all the difficulties that we endure. He spoke about how malnutrition, drought and war has ravaged the world, yet humanity remains hopeful. Gift of the Givers offers humanity a branch of hope. The talk was a deep point of personal reflection. I do believe that every guest at this lunch was served more than just a grand meal and walked away with a sense of inspiration.

In honour of the day’s lunch, Hyatt Recency handed over a cheque to Gift of the Givers, as proof of their commitment to the amazing work being done by the organisation.

I am a huge fan of Gift of the Givers and the work that they do. As a child I was immensely inspired by Dr Sooliman’s story. His life story made me desire a profession where I serve humanity. I wanted my daily life’s work to be positively impactful on the lives of others. I finally got to meet him! I told him that I have been a fan of his work since my childhood and relayed my story to him. He in turn delivered a message to me… “Whatever we do in life, let us set an intention to do good. Intention is very powerful in all that we do”. In true super-fan style, I then proceeded to ask him for a picture. He promptly dropped everything, walked me to a place with good lightning and got someone to take a picture of us.

I am reminded of this quote by a 12^th century theologian, John of Salisbury,

“We are like dwarfs sitting on the shoulders of giants. We see more, and things that are more distant, than they did, not because our sight is superior or because we are taller than they, but because they raise us up, and by their great stature add to ours.”

Dr Sooliman emanates humility, despite being a giant in his field. He has accomplished something so remarkable and rare, yet he remains grounded. There is a huge lesson for us – we can learn from this giant and make a positive impact in this world, irrespective of how small that may seem, with a noble intention, a small act can render massive results.

Spread your love and light into this world and start by supporting Hyatt Regency’s initiative for Gift of the Givers. The Cape Malay Buffet is available every Friday night, Saturday lunch and Sunday lunch for R300 per person and R150 for kids under 12.

Book by calling 021 215 1234 or book online at: bit.ly/HyattRegencyCpt
Find restaurant details here.

By Maryam Bibi Rumaney
Maryam is a molecular scientist by profession with a passion for writing. She offers laboratory advisory, scientific editing, and English language services. She loves to travel and is always looking for the next adventure.