* This article first appeared here in YOURLUXURY Africa
Make no mistake, it’s a journey and a half to Klein JAN. The destination restaurant is tucked away deep in the Kalahari – a seven-hour drive from Johannesburg and four from Kimberley. The experience, however, is akin to nothing else in the country, and as I recently discovered, some destinations are certainly worth the drive.
Jan Hendrik van der Westhuizen is South Africa’s poster boy for fine cuisine after being the first South African to receive a highly coveted Michelin star in 2016. Whilst Klein JAN may be far, it’s closer than a trip to his starred restaurant JAN in Nice.
Klein JAN is an immersive journey, with a hyper-local food and flavour focus, set in a Kalahari game reserve. Spoiler alert: what follows details some of the surprise elements of the Klein JAN experience, so if you don’t want to know it all, perhaps skip the next few paragraphs.
At first glance, the scene is a humble one. An original 1918 Kalahari house stands alongside a few shrubs, with some white sheets loosely flapping on the adjacent drying line. We’re invited to wash our hands in the shade of one of the trees, followed by welcome drinks on the small veranda. Inside the homely Boshia House, our amuse-bouche is served on a slate of Kalahari rock – immediately setting the tone of reverence for the land and its produce.
Ushered through the kitchen door, the aluminium water tank stands before us, but with a small difference to the usual Kalahari kind – the outline of a door can be seen in the metal. Opening the door begins the magical Alice in Wonderland journey.
A spiral staircase circles down into the bowels of the earth, with water gently falling in the centre – a reminder of reverence for this precious resource, central to life in the desert. In the coolness of the subterranean pantry-styled passageway, shelves are laden with every kind of vegetable, fruit, conserve and meat possible.
Passing through this tunnel of treats, the restaurant is reached. Carved out of the earth, the restaurant is an intimate space flanked by glass windows that offer a generous window into the wild. Adrian Davidson, from the multidisciplinary design practice Savile Row, was the creative genius behind the project. A lounge, kitchen, bar and then a few tables span the space.
Klein JAN’s sourcing of ingredients ranges only within the Northern Cape from sustainable farmers and growers. Our menu for the day included a host of unique local favourites, including spekboom, blackthorn honey, Kalahari truffle, kaiings, sourgrass, xigugu, makataan, mesquite, saltbush, African horned cucumber, and wild sage.
Guests are offered the chance to pair wines from the Western Cape or Northern Cape. Considering the hyper-local menu focus, it was a no-brainer to opt for the wines from a region that doesn’t often get the spotlight. Glasses included Lowerland Prieska’s Die Wonderdraai and Verlore Bokooi, Orange River Cellars Cape Ruby, and Die Mas’ Wit Muskadel.
While dining, I noticed a distressed warthog crisscrossing the veld in front. Asking the host about the seemingly anxious creature, I was told that her partner had recently been eaten by a leopard. A sobering reminder that we truly were in the middle of South Africa’s largest private Game Reserve for perhaps South Africa’s most exclusive and breathtaking culinary destination offering.
HOW TO BOOK
Considering the location, it’s best to overnight. Guests staying at Tswalu receive a dinner here, but if the budget doesn’t allow for the luxury reserve, then the quirky Vanzylsrus Hotel is your nearest option – plus they’re able to book your meal at Klein JAN.