Luke Dale Roberts takes fine dining to the Kalahari

Luke Dale Roberts has opened Boscia at Tswalu Kalahari, a new fine-dining restaurant built beneath a century-old farmhouse on the 118,000-hectare reserve. Dale Roberts, formerly of The Test Kitchen, is the creative director, with Dillan Kannemeyer, formerly head chef at Roberts’ SALON and with more than seven years at The Pot Luck Club, leads the Boscia kitchen.

The five-course menu draws on European and Asian influences and Kalahari ingredients including venison, tsamma melon, Kalahari salt, dates and wild rosemary. Preservation features prominently, with meat sourced largely from a Kalahari butcher. South African wine pairings and non-alcoholic options are available.

The restaurant forms part of the Tswalu guest experience and is included for stays of two nights or more. From October, Boscia will also open to the public for Saturday lunch at R3,850 per person. Bookings open on the first of each month for the following month.

Tswalu is a private reserve in the southern Kalahari owned by the Oppenheimer family. Boscia takes its name from the shepherd’s tree, Boscia albitrunca, which is common on the reserve.