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Bushmans Kloof Wilderness Reserve and Retreat has introduced a special Fynbos menu to celebrate the botanical richness of the region, offering guests the opportunity to discover signature dishes that include fynbos herbs and rooibos tea.
Situated in the majestic Cederberg Mountains, just 270km from Cape Town, Bushmans Kloof is equally renowned for its extraordinary botanical diversity as it is for its fresh, home style Cape Cuisine.
The reserve lies within the Cederberg Wilderness Area, which forms part of the Cape Floral Region, where endemic fynbos (fine bush) make up 80% of the floral kingdom. With the introduction of an innovative and creative fynbos menu, this indigenous plant species with its distinct flavours and nutritious value, provides an unusual and authentic, home-grown flavour to the exceptional gastronomic experience here.
Delicious items on this menu include the exotic Buchu Smoked Ostrich Carpaccio, served with a refreshing rocket and parmesan salad or the succulent Karoo Lamb Shank Bobotie, with its distinct Cape Malay flavour carried through in boldly spiced raisins and apricot, fynbos custard and pineapple salsa. For those who wish to indulge their sweet tooth, a trio of Sorbets includes the essence of rooibos, apple or berry.
Head chef Jannie Melis and his team prepare a selection of gastronomic, healthy or home-style comfort foods, made from the best local produce, and organically home grown fruit and vegetables picked fresh from Bushmans Kloof’s very own gardens, all hand-selected to enhance the natural taste and flavours, providing guests with the finest in local cuisine.
The cuisine at Bushmans Kloof is all about sight, sound, smell, taste and texture, and the dining menu harmoniously integrates these elements, with its veritable selection of 5 hors d’oeuvres, and 7 main courses that include a choice of grill dishes, as well as 6 delicious desserts. Complementing the menu is an award-winning wine list featuring exceptional wines from the acclaimed wine cellar that includes a selection from Bouchard Finlayson. With the wide choice of South Africa’s finest wines, French champagnes and cognacs, South Africa’s top wine list tribute, the coveted Diners Club Wine List Award of Excellence has been awarded for the third consecutive year (2007).
There is a varied choice of exceptional and breathtaking dining venues that ensure that no meal here is ever quite alike. Delight in an unforgettable brunch at Makana (which means ‘to feast’ in the San language), with its glorious views across the dam and river. Enjoy a traditional South African braai (barbeque) in the spectacular outdoor setting of Embers, overlooking Khabo dam, or indulge in a romantic dinner for two at Kadoro, a charming stone shepherd’s cottage set in the shade of an ancient blue gum in the midst of the reserve, where meals are all prepared on open fires and dining is by candlelight. And after dinner, guests enjoy a night drive under a blanket of stars, back to the Lodge.
Additional fine dining venues at the Lodge include the dining room or terrace of the Homestead, and the Manor House bar and deck with its romantic riverside setting under the colossal fig tree (Ficus natalensis). The informal River Boma provides a perfect setting for sundowners or nightcaps in the moonlight, accompanied only by the nocturnal sounds of Africa.
Bushmans Kloof is a sanctuary for 755 species of indigenous flora and is home to over 35 species of mammals, including the rare Cape Mountain zebra, along with over 150 kinds of birds, such as the African fish eagle and the Malachite kingfisher. It provides many opportunities for guests to learn more about nature and the rich cultural history of this ancient land, being custodian of the world’s ‘largest open air art gallery’ of over 130 San Bushman rock art sites.
Bushmans Kloof offers an invigorating and enriching wilderness experience that will energize the body, feed the soul, enlighten the mind, stimulate the senses and delight the palette.
MORE ABOUT FYNBOS
The word fynbos comes from the Dutch for ‘fine-leaved plants’. Fynbos plants include the King Protea, South Africa's national flower, the beautiful Red Disa, symbol of the Cape Province and the popular garden plants, pelargoniums, commonly known as geraniums.
Fynbos is the major vegetation type of the small botanical region known as the Cape Floral Kingdom. The Cape Floral Kingdom is both the smallest and the richest floral kingdom in the world, with the highest known concentration of plant species at 1 300 per 10 000 km?. Conservation of the Cape Floral Kingdom, with its distinctive fynbos vegetation, is a national conservation priority.
Fynbos plants are readily recognised by the sclerophyllous (hard, tough and leathery leaved) and microphyllous (small leaved) nature of almost all woody plants and is characterized by having more than 5% cover of Cape reeds.
ROOIBOS
The rooibos plant (Aspalathus linearis) is a naturally occurring herb found only in the Cederberg Mountains, and was named ‘red bush’ by the Dutch settlers. During summer the thin needle-like leaves of the plant, which normally grows up to between 0.5m and 1m high, change from green to a distinct rich, red colour and are then ready to be harvested.
Rooibos was widely used by the Khoisan as a herbal remedy for many different ailments. Most South African children grow up on Rooibos tea and for centuries the herb has provided welcome relief to babies who are allergic to cow’s milk formulas or suffer from colic.
Reservations:
Tel (021) 685 2598
Fax (021) 685 5210
email
info@bushmanskloof.co.za
www.bushmanskloof.co.za |
