DR Livingstone's Favourite, I Presume

Source: Financial Gazette (Harare)

Date: 2 November 2005

Author: Charlotte Malakoff

Hidden away on a 6000-acre private reserve, yet a mere hop, skip and a jump from 'the smoke that thunders', is one of the world's best kept secrets, the Stanley and Livingstone Hotel at Victoria Falls.

Resident manager Charles Kamseka, who has been at this elegant boutique hotel since it opened in 1999, showed us around with evident pride. The stylish dining room, with its Hepplewhite chairs and gold-framed botanical prints, was of special interest to me. I could imagine David Livingstone's 1856 celebratory dinner in such surroundings at the Royal Geographical Society's headquarters in Kensington Gore, when the explorer's information about the Victoria Falls earned him a gold medal and national hero status.

Also renowned, but for his culinary expertise, is Head Chef Jabu Tshuma, whose classic French cuisine complements the silver service and sophisticated style of this restaurant. Hailing from Bulawayo, Chef Jabu learned his skills at Ilala Lodge, Victoria Falls, and at Meikles Hotel in Harare. Dinner at the Stanley and Livingstone was going to be an occasion, so I wore my smartest evening dress--a suitably loose one--so that I could eat my way through the menu.

If your experience of Crocodile tail is limited to Croc Burgers or Croc Nuggets served on a tooth pick, make sure you taste Chef Jabu's Crocodile Tail Thermidor. This delicious starter consists of a melt-in-the-mouth puff pastry case filled with crocodile strips cooked to perfection in cream, mushroom and sherry. The alternative starter of Shrimps and Mushroom in garlic parsley and lemon butter looked similarly delicious.

Cream of Butternut Soup, flavoured with cheese and garnished with paprika, had a delicate taste and the consistency of silk. It was also perfectly seasoned.

The main course, Zimbabwean beef fillet in a flavoursome red wine sauce, was served with delicious French fries, lightly steamed cauliflower and zucchini, and parslied carrots. The alternative, chicken breast with lemon cream and a mustard sauce, looked equally tasty. Also on offer was Nyanga trout with a spicy paprika and lemon butter cream sauce.

For dessert I chose Chocolate Cake, served with a chocolate sauce and a fruit coulis. While the cake may have lacked the pizazz of the other courses, it was fine, and freshly brewed coffee, poured from a silver coffeepot and served on the balcony outside, was good.

The Stanley and Livingstone welcomes non-resident visitors to its restaurant, so if you're staying at a nearby camp or lodge, make a point of booking a table here for an evening, and enjoy a splendid meal.

There is also a great lunch menu, offering chicken and beef salads, home made rolls served with pickled vegetables and chips, and toasted sandwiches. You can even cool off with fresh fruit salad and ice cream, or a Stanley and Livingstone speciality fruit sundae.

Breakfast is a splendid affair, usually served on the shady terrace overlooking a busy water hole, favourite haunt of nyala and warthogs. If, like me, you can't resist a full English breakfast, there are eggs cooked any way you want, bacon, sausages, mushrooms, fried onions, baked beans and French fries. Hot, freshly-brewed coffee is served in a silver coffeepot. If fine dining is high on your list of priorities, make sure you book into the Stanley and Livingstone at Victoria Falls.