As travellers and tourists will make up the largest numbers of clientele to enjoy the restaurant, it has been designed to provide guests with a tranquil, elegant, home-away-from-home setting, using simple elegant furniture pieces and tonal textured fabrics.
The restaurant itself can cater for up to 188 guests in air-conditioned comfort, and also features the ‘Amarula Lounge' furnished with large, comfortable leather couches.
The three newly built decks surrounding the restaurants allow up to 120 guests to make the most of their time in the Kruger National Park by enjoying a delicious meal or cocktail in the great outdoors.
“Dining ‘al fresco', out in the fresh air, allows for complete and utter relaxation, giving guests an opportunity to soak up the sunshine and enjoy the restaurant's sweeping views of the pristine Kruger bush and Sabi river,” says Willem Viviers, GM, Compass Game Park Services (CGPS). Last year the company, which is a business unit of Compass Group SA, secured the much-coveted 10-year contract to manage the restaurants and other catering requirements in the Kruger National Park.
As part of this contract, all quick-service outlets and restaurants in the Kruger Park will be upgraded. “We not only wanted to improve the offering to our regular international tourists but we also wanted to encourage more local usage from residents in the area,” says Viviers.
The new restaurants will operate under the Tree Restaurants brand name and each will be named after a tree that dominates the area in which it is situated. Hence, the Skukuza restaurant was renamed Jackalberry.
“You cannot run restaurants in the Kruger National Park without taking cognisance of the fact that this is not your normal, run-of-the-mill operation,” says Viviers. “Nature is ultimately what attracts the tourists to the park, which makes it imperative that our offering complements the entire experience. It's not about standing out; it's about blending in.
“Trees provide shelter, a place of refuge and comfort, as well as sustenance – an ideal description of our restaurants.”
The Jackalberry tree itself, which can grow up to heights of 15 to 18 feet, is a favourite amongst the animal kingdom, and it bears a lemon-sweet flavoured fruit which is enjoyed by animals such as nyalas, impalas, warthogs, baboons and hornbills to name a few. We also enjoy the jackalberry fruit, which can be eaten fresh or preserved, and can be used to brew beer or brandy.
The new restaurant, which is open from 07:00 to 22:00, also provides much sustenance – albeit a much larger variety than that offered by the tree – under the direction of executive chef Uwe Pehl, who updates the menu on a daily basis. He has a great deal of experience in the kitchens of a number of top hospitality establishments. The restaurant also features an upgraded boma, where guests can enjoy open-air braais for special functions and private events during the evening. A separate braai area, run by the restaurant, is also available during the day for lighter fare such as boerewors rolls and prego rolls.
