When I was first informed of my impending visit to a restaurant which serves “big game”, the fact that it was in North London gave me the impression that it would be a small affair, not unlike the Cajun restaurant I had visited many years before on the outskirts of New York – a quaint establishment only yards away from a railway track. I was wrong to make such an assumption. In fact, nothing could prepare me for what was to come at Shaka Zulu, Camden.
On entering the main door, I was struck by the huge life-sized wooden carvings of elephants adorning the main wall. As I continued further into what must be one of the biggest restaurants I have been to (3000 sq metres over 2 floors), I found the walls completely covered with similar carvings, featuring apes, antelope, wildebeest, big cats, and an array of other animals along with Zulu warriors and other peoples synonymous with South Africa. Opulence is not a word associated with South Africa, still considered a 3rd world country, yet the effort and expense in bringing to life this amazing restaurant was evident, to the extent where the phrase “South African Grandeur” did not seem out of place. Great care had been taken to give this, the largest S.African themed restaurant in Europe, a genuine feel. Bronze 20ft high statues towered over us and a variety of African masks could be found along each wall, along with other carved African animals alongside figurine – shaped lamp holders. Each of these was made by hand or cast as a one-off from drawings commissioned specifically for the restaurant, as was each table and chair, individually carved and inlaid, leaving me to wonder at the mammoth task which owner Roger Payne undertook and completed. He took over the building as an empty shell in 2008 and paying £5.5 million pounds in the process, produced a restaurant which I found stunning as I sailed down the escalators – and this was before I sat down to taste the food!
I spoke to General Manager Obi Megafu, who painstakingly took the time to explain the initial idea of the restaurant and the work and great thought which had gone into creating this unique venue. He painted a scene for me, explaining that Roger Payne had wanted to open a South African themed restaurant ever since a visit to the country as a boy, at which time he fell in love with the cuisine. When the opportunity came to acquire the building on a lease he jumped at it, deciding to pursue that theme dream, and name it after a Zulu King. Over 2 years later, on the 4th August 2010 and on completion of the restaurant, the King’s descendants were flown to the UK for the official opening.
Obi explained further that the Zulu art which adorns the walls was commissioned by South African museums, allowing copies of their artefacts to be made specifically for the restaurant. The hand-made furniture, the wooden murals and indeed the bronzes, all made in South Africa & Asia had to be transported to the UK in 40 lorries. The smaller items like the chairs and tables were carried into the building by hand. The large statues, including the bronze Lion which weighs 1000 kg’s and sits at the bottom of the escalator, were lifted through the then non-existent roof by crane. The 6,000 ceiling tiles were again, all hand made. It took 2 years for the carvings to be made, and looking at the sheer work involved you can see why. If ever there was a restaurant designed, decorated and furnished on an industrial scale, this was it. It’s no surprise that amongst the awards won by the restaurant was one for Best Interior at the London Bar Awards, along with a Diner’s Choice Award for 2011/2012.
As I sat with Obi and fellow journalist Lyn Funell, she with her wine, and me with a diet coke, Obi told us about the extensive wines available – a choice of ONLY South African wines. He offered to bring a copy of the wine list over for us to peruse, but we declined – 500 different wines would mean 500 more choices for Lyn. We would be there for 2 days whilst she decided which one to try. We ordered drinks from an alternative shorter menu. Lyn had a glass of white wine, made from vines which grow on a rock in Springfield, hence the brand name “Springfield – Life from Stone”. I opted for a 2nd diet coke – what a devil!
We decided to look at the food options.
WARNING! If you are an animal activist look away now!
Being a Greek Cypriot and therefore part of a nation of extreme carnivores, I was looking forward to the selection of meats available. I wasn’t to be disappointed. Kudu, Ostrich, Wildebeest and Zebra were just some of the delights on the menu. I did get over excited at one point, as I skimmed the menu and within a millisecond spotted the word trifle and then the word Melktert. In my mind I created “Meerkat Trifle”. Alas, on closer examination I realised it was not meant to be, it was not simples, and my experimental culinary skirmish with Alexandr Orlov and friends would have to wait until another day.
For my starter I had Crocodile Cigars, aka Spring Rolls. (Must ask my local Chinese to get them in!). Lyn had Soft Shell Crab deep fried in chilli, lemon and herbs. The Croc Cigars were absolutely amazing – delicately wrapped and acceptably thin, but with a flavour similar to duck. I felt I was getting revenge for all the poor souls who had perished at the hands (or mouths), of crocs! I also tried the crab offered to me by Lyn, with a crispy exterior and perfectly cooked inside. (The crab I mean, NOT Lyn!)
After consultation with the menu and our delightful Slovakian hostess Petra, Lyn and I opted to share a King Shaka Game Board (platter) for our main course, featuring springbok, wildebeest, boerwors (a sausage comprising of a lamb and beef mix), and zebra. These were accompanied by two different garnishes (one onion based, the other aubergine), and we ordered salad and spinach as extras. Now were we on to the real stuff – what us men really desire – MEAT!
So now there was all this other new meat for me to try, and what a wonderful choice we had made. All the cuts appeared perfectly cooked, i.e. medium rare, and like a tourist, I couldn’t help but take photos and admire the pink centres of each variety. I began with the springbok, which tasted like beef, only a little drier and with a more pungent smell. The wildebeest was soft and succulent, almost pork-like and again, cooked to perfection. The boerwors had a sausage like texture and the mixture of the two meats, softened with herbs and light spices made a change from the medallions of meat. Having said that, the best was yet to come. Zebras, apart from having a huge kick, also have extremely tender meat, and you could be forgiven for mistaking zebra meat for a piece of fillet steak. I didn’t leave a scrap of the zebra, and in fact ate most of it myself – it would not have been surprised me if I had dreamt in black and white that night! Now I know why lions like them so much.
Whilst all this was going on, it’s important to note that there was an excellent selection of very relaxing African music playing in the background, at an ideal level for hearing but without it being intrusive.
Did I mention that we had a selection of 8 different ice creams for dessert? Well, we did. Although we ate it rather quickly, me diving in like an ice cream junkie suffering from cold turkey symptoms, I held myself back just long enough to get a photo!
I finished off my meal with an espresso, but not before I had tried a non-alcoholic cocktail made by world class mixologist and bar manager, Tony – a recipient of the Courvoisier Award and twice winner of the Bacardi Award. “Mixes Like Fruit” was exactly what the name suggests – a blend of fruit juices, topped with a solitary fresh raspberry and a blackberry. It was like heaven in a glass. Lyn ordered the same after sampling mine, but couldn’t resist asking for a shot of vodka to spice hers up.
It is interesting to note that Roger Payne clearly demonstrates his love of South Africa in the way he has set up a charity aspect to the restaurant. For every bottle of water sold, the restaurant donates £1 to several charities in S.A., which include educational schemes and sanitation. There is also a display cabinet in the foyer which contains genuine artefacts for sale, the proceeds of which again go these charities.
The whole dining experience was exceptional and with regards the food, Head Chef Steve Boucher is without doubt, the right man for the job. An excellent meal all round. I will most certainly be going back again………and again.
Shaka Zulu, Stables Market, Chalk Farm Road, Camden, NW1 8AB. 0203 376 9911