One of ROAR AFRICA's favorite restaurants in the winelands has just been awarded Chef of the Year 2012 and runner up spot in Eat Out Top 10 awards. We would like to congratulate Margot and The Tasting Room for this incredible achievement.

 

South Africa’s most prestigious restaurant awards are also known as ‘the foodie Oscars’ were held on Sunday 25 November 2012, at the glittering ceremony of the 2012 Eat Out DSTV Food Network Restaurant Awards. The 10 best restaurants in South Africa were announced along with a host of other winners in additional categories.

The country’s top chefs came dressed accordingly—trading their whites for evening wear and celebrated with the cream of the fine dining restaurant crop. Not only did The Tasting Room claim the number two spot in the Eat Out Top 10, but in a culinary coup, Margot Janse, the executive chef, was crowned Chef of the Year 2012. Bruce Palling, Eat Out’s international judge had this to say about Janse: “Here is a chef with superb classical training, yet with a sense of playfulness. I would rank my dinner here with the best I have had anywhere in the past year. I was blown away by the playfulness and the complete self-assurance of a professional.” 

This is the 11th time The Tasting Room has made it into the Eat Out Top 10 and Margot was also awarded Chef of the Year in 2002.

On your next visit to Franschhoek ask us to make a reservation for you at the Tasting Room and experience Margot's unique African Inspired Surprise Tasting Menu for yourself.

ROAR AFRICA is thrilled to share the first pictures from the brand new Singita Mara River Tented Camp, situated in the Lamai triangle, the northernmost tip of the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania. The camp offers a pared-down approach to the quintessential Singita safari without compromising on any creature comforts. 

Singita’s philosophy of preserving iconic locations by offering ‘fewer beds in larger areas’ is epitomised by Mara River Tented Camp’s remote position in the Lamai triangle – with only 16 beds surrounded by 98,000 acres of untouched wilderness.  It is a wildlife viewing area with abundant year-round concentrations of resident plains game, big cats and elephant in addition to the Mara River’s large populations of crocodile and hippo.

Remote and unspoilt, Singita Mara River Tented Camp has been designed with the growing need for guests to make an authentic and meaningful connection with nature, that leaves behind a lighter footprint. Close to the ground and off the grid, the concept and design of the camp encourages constant engagement with the wild. Each of the six guest tents offers priceless solitude, peace and sheer luxury of space. Conceptualized and designed by Cécile & Boyd’s, the attention to detail in the camp is breathtaking – arguably our most beautiful interiors yet.

In keeping with the concept of sustainable living, the camp is built from natural and recycled materials including wood, stone, canvas and raw leather. It is 100% ‘off the grid’, relying entirely on a central, custom-designed solar power array using photovoltaic technology – a system that uses solar panels to convert sunlight into electricity.

There has been a conscious focus on sourcing original work from talented young designers and craftspeople, celebrating the best of contemporary African design and inspiring guests to see local creativity in a fresh, new way. Campaign-style retro travel chests made from pale wood; wooden turned lights fashioned from sustainable Jacaranda wood; decorative wire baskets the exact shape and design of traditional grain-sorting baskets; and splashes of primary red and blue with black in Masaai-inspired patterns. The ambience is pure boho-glamour – relaxed and cool, fun and functional – while retaining that elegant yet relaxed, feet-up style.

On a recent ROAR AFRICA trip with a group of friends Boyd Matson, interviewed the Lady rangers of Londolozi Talley & Helen.  You saw the interview with Talley & her favorite animal the Hyena.  Here is Helen with hers...the leopard. Matson has the job of traveling to exotic locations and joining thrilling expeditions. He has traveled to all the continents, participated in high-adrenaline adventures, and witnessed amazing natural history and anthropology events. He has rappelled into sinkholes, run multi-day endurance races through the desert, and been bitten by more snakes than he cares to count.
As a leading on-air journalist for National Geographic,  Matson's Wild Chronicles connects viewers to the pulse of the planet. In addition to creating Wild Chronicles, Matson also hosts the radio program National Geographic Weekend, writes a monthly travel column for National Geographic Traveler magazine, and serves as a spokesperson for the National Geographic Society.
Previously, Matson served as the longtime host of the award-winning series National Geographic Explorer.


Tracking Leopards at Londolozi

 

Inspired by the impact of scale in his sculptures and following the overwhelming positive response from the monumental sculpture show at Nirox Sculpture Park, Paul du Toit decided to revisit ideas from his early notebooks. With the technological advances in paints over the years and his own development of techniques, he feels the time is right to explore and push the smaller works in a new direction.