UNIQUE SAFARI DINING EXPERIENCES
"Searching for the most unique dining experiences on safari? Jonathan and his family share some of their safari dining reviews and unique dining experiences in the Masai Mara, Kenya..."
The beautiful timber deck just outside the main lounge tent is the perfect breakfast spot, scattered with a few tables and really chic leather director’s chairs that Sheira wanted to take home...
Our personal butler, William who was taking care of all our food and drinks needs, would bring out a really appetising platter of cut fruit, tangy preserves, jams and muffins. We loved the presentation of muesli heaped with yoghurt on top, together in a glass. As he poured freshly squeezed juices, William would take any orders for hot breakfast staples like eggs, bacon, sausages and crepes, but the kitchen really would have whipped up anything.
The kitchen staff really took care of Sheira’s gluten and dairy free dietary requirements, always so attentive to what alternatives would please her.
The chef, Joseph came out to greet us and run through the menus for lunch and dinner in case we wanted to customise them - and always ask Zoe what she would particularly like.
This is why we love the boutique experience when we travel: the complete mix of luxury and personal attentiveness is something that is very hard to expect from a large luxury hotel no matter how well they may strive to achieve this. At Bateleur Camp they take it even further - at his luxury tented accommodation we felt we had come home to our African family. Nothing was too much trouble for the friendly kitchen team and the quality of the produce was outstanding. We even loved the unusual placemats - gorgeous recreations of arty black and white wildlife shots.
To add a different texture to our unique dining experience's here, one day we decided to try having lunch away from the main lodge deck and move to the neighbouring property, KICHWA TEMBO - the midrange safari camp that is separately run but also owned by &BEYOND (and also the name of this region).
Even though Bateleur Camp is certainly the right option for the luxury traveler, we really loved Kichwa Tembo’s bigger pool for Zoe to swim: unlike Bateleur’s smaller lap pool, there is room to splash around. By setting up lunch there we could swim and eat during a lazy afternoon between game drives (we also enjoyed seeing the different style of the raw, main tented lounge area, with a massive deck fringed with white cloth curtains and a rope-style cocktail bar).
One of the fun things about lunch in the gardens of Kichwa Tembo is the family of resident warthogs (not tame by any means) who chase each other while doing hilarious 90 degree turns - fun to watch if you have kids.
Of course there is always the more sophisticated, aesthetic lunch experience back at Bateleur Camp.
Guest requests are never a problem here, so the excellent Bateleur cuisine was simply moved across camps. We loved the combination of an approachable, friendly team of locals in the kitchen with world class, quality food.
We told the chef, Joseph we like fresh, light lunches and he prepared us some beautiful bean and tomato salads with beautiful, doughy fresh bread that is baked on site. The next course was chicken breast cooked to perfection with rice and pumpkin, followed by tropical fruit salad and ice-cream for Zoe. There are always superb South African wines on offer but we tend not to drink in the day or we’ll never make it back to the safari. Lunch was bountiful but unfussy enough for our fairly simple tastes.
PLEASE NOTE: internet access is also available in Kichwa Tembo Camp.
Another alternative for those who prefer to sleep longer in the mornings and would rather go on safari between 11 - 3, is the picnic lunch, which the kitchen can prepare if requested the night before.
Eating cold cuts and sandwiches in the great outdoors, on the fringes of teeming groups of zebras, giraffes and wildebeest, brings the real safari flavour to your unique dining experience.
The evening meal, in the glow of lovely big lanterns outdoors, is the most magical meal of the day and a chance for Joseph, the chef to show his real gourmet flair. Guests can mingle for drinks first under the lounge tent, which becomes even more like an aristocratic salon by night; we enjoyed meeting a lovely couple from Mexico who shared their passion for Africa and far-flung places with us.
The elegant setting of tables set with white linen and crystal, creates a truly rarified, colonial atmosphere of fine dining. There are fabulous wines from all over the world on offer, so the world is really your oyster: drinks are all included unless you order certain, rarer vintage wines.
Joseph makes different soups every night and really fabulous main dishes that are impressive and generous without being too precious - a Said family favorite. There was a large variety: I would have rack of lamb while Zoe would have lighter fish - and Joseph made Sheira a gluten-free, crumbed chicken fillet especially. I will never forget his amazing chocolate dessert with the texture of pâté, which I had never seen before.
Zoe lapped up the attentions of our butler, William who loves kids and stood behind her to kindly cut up her food. Dinner is a delightfully unrushed, elegant, candlelit experience...
One of our favourite unique dining experiences was shrouded in secrecy: the staff simply asked us to bring warm clothing on the late afternoon drive and said they had a surprise in store!
By early evening we were supposedly looking for a leopard, but were really being guided into a clearing in the bush where the staff had created a BOMA (an open fire, encircled with tables and chairs). The tables had been set in a circle around the crackling, leaping flames and the whole effect cast a spell; other guests were mingling, laughing and sharing their safari experiences as we joined the lively scene.
There is the attention to detail, like the porcelain basin to wash your hands, and even the toilets had privacy tents around them.
There was a full bar service with plenty of wines and cocktails; as the gathering got into full swing, in front of the roaring flames of the open fire.
When we were shown to our table for dinner we were hosted by our camp manager Joseph - the equivalent of joining the captain's table on a ship. He made a gracious speech, announcing that the camp creates a bush dinner every week in the guests’ honour.
Apart from side salads and noodles, it was the delicious smell of roasting BBQ that filled the air. The chefs were basting slabs of beef, lamb and chicken with their signature onion sauce. It was informal, hearty, beautiful bush food!
We took our plates up as the staff carved off juicy, steaming slices. Back at the table, our ever-present butler, William stood sentry-like behind us ready to cut our food or take care of the wine.
To top it off, some local Masai men were invited to come and perform their famous tribal jumping dance: their leaps are meant to showcase their agility and stamina. It was an amazing sight that we all sat around the fire to witness. Even standing still these traditional warrior herders are extraordinary to look at, with their long, lean frames draped in red robes across one shoulder and tribal jewellery - let alone leaping three feet in the air!
After a memorable night William carried a happily sleeping Zoe back to the jeep. On our way back to the luxury tented camp after dinner in the bush, ironically we DID SEE the elusive leopard but lost her soon after in the thick shrub !
Join Jonathan Said and his family on their luxury travel journeys as they share their best restaurants experiences and luxury hotels and resorts holidays around the world. The comprehensive travel tips and ideas include some of the most popular things to see and do at each destination including a local shopping guide, photos, video, music and much more.
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