Good company and such awesome scenery make for a particularly enjoyable experience. Flashes of lightning lit the thunderous sky, illuminating a herd of elephant drinking from the watering hole. The evening eventuated as a memorable culinary experience as well, due to the splendid food and service provided by Makuwa-Kuwa.
My partner, a first-time visitor to the Victoria Falls, was eager to try impala, so for his entrée he ordered the peppered Impala carapaccio, while my friend and I opted for the white asparagus soup. The impala described most eloquently, in the Makuwa-Kuwa tradition, as “Balsamic matured impala fillet dusted with cracked roasted black peppercorns and flavoured with bushman’s herbs topped with an inkomasi panna cotta, garnished with sunflower seeded bread bars, balsamic reduction, lemon-scented olive oil and parmesan shavings,” was tender, the peppercorns and lemon-scented olive oil making a perfect accompaniment with shavings of parmesan cheese.
The white asparagus soup was excellent, with a delicious accompanying gremolata prawn.
I’ve been to the Victoria Falls several times and always enjoy warthog for dinner, so I ordered the Victoria Falls Safari Lodge “Pumba” fillet for my main. My partner had the madras crocodile curry and our friend ordered the slow-roasted guinea fowl breast. All three dishes were superb. I had ordered the warthog fillet at The Makuwa-Kuwa a year before and had remembered it vividly, so fully expected it to be exceptionally tasty.
My only mild criticism is that the Inyanga tea-soaked prunes that make up the filling for the warthog fillet have such a distinctive, sweet flavour that they can be overpowering if used in excessive quantities! My warthog dish this night was somewhat overfilled with the prunes and the white-wine flavoured BBQ Sauce was used very liberally, causing the warthog flavours to be drenched in just a little bit too much sweetness. However, it was still a dish that I enjoyed a great deal!
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The madras crocodile curry was excellent — tender and full of interesting flavours, with the lentil and basmati biryani making a perfect accompaniment. The absolute highlight for all of us, though, was the slow-roasted guinea fowl breast, which we all couldn’t help sampling, and our friend was happy to oblige! Wrapped in a delicate slice of bacon, the bird was incredibly tasty — I can still remember its exact flavour to this day. The basmati rice and spinach chiffonade provided an excellent side dish.
The gooseberry and red-wine jus poured over the guinea fowl was very special indeed — my partner and I went back to the Makuwa-Kuwa two nights later especially to order this dish!
The desserts were a bit less satisfying. The Kadoma blue and cottage cheese mousse was, for us, rather a strange combination, producing a confusing flavour. And why advertise a “dish for two” yet only initially provide one glass of port with it? The Out of Africa Cheese Board offered commonly served cheeses rather than something special, and too few accompanying crackers. However, these critical thoughts towards our desserts honestly didn’t detract from what was overall an excellent, memorable and very enjoyable dining experience.
Throughout the meal, the service was exceptional. With professions which require us to travel extensively around the world, we frequently dine together in good restaurants in many different countries, and the table service at the Makuwa-Kuwa ranks as one of the very best in our experience. The chef came to our table to enquire about the meal, our waiter was extremely friendly and attentive, and the experience was made even more interesting by small and excellent a capella choir singing local songs for 15 minutes.
Deluxe Restaurant5 PlatesExpect to spend US$30 to US$50 per headVictoria Falls Safari Lodge
