Restaurant Klein JAN has opened at Tswalu Kalahari Reserve in the Northern Cape, South Africa’s largest private game reserve, covering over 111 000ha.
The restaurant is the latest project from world-renowned chef, Jan Hendrik van der Westhuizen, who was born in Mpumalanga. He is South Africa’s first chef to be awarded a Michelin Star, this for his South African Restaurant JAN in Nice in the South of France.
Restaurant Klein JAN aims to create a unique experience for guests, from the offering of canapés in a 100-year-old restored house to the walk through the 25m-long root cellar.
“I wanted to come back home, in a sense, to bring what we've been doing in France to South Africans. We decided that Tswalu is the perfect spot for that. The vastness is almost like a blank canvas,” explains Jan.
Jan seeks to reflect the culinary heritage of South Africa with a specific focus on sustainability, using only ingredients from the Kalahari and working with local suppliers.
KleinJAN is open to day visitors for lunch service on select dates each month. Bookings are essential – bookings open three months in advance. The restaurant offers an eight-course tasting menu and wine pairing at R2 500 per person. Lunch service is from 12h00-15h00.
