The Boma back with more bite
THE Boma — Dinner & Drum Show, a “must do” Victoria Falls experience, has just got a lot more bite, with a focus on the refresh-ment and modernisation of its food and entertainment elements now completed.
The ultimate dining and enter-tainment experience in Victoria Falls will now be officially re-launched this Monday (January 23) evening at The Boma, a restau-rant that specialises in traditional African dining, drumming and dancing. The raft of changes, which have taken place over several months, have included the fine-tuning of the restaurant’s food offering under the guidance of South Af-rican celebrity chef Arnold Tanz-er as well as the introduction of new entertainment elements and changes to the decor.
The Boma — which is highly rated on international travel sites such as TripAdvisor of the UK —offers a delicious four-course meal, made up of starters, soup from the campfire, a braai (bar-becue) buffet featuring Zimba-bwean delicacies such as mopane worms, warthog steak and Zam-bezi bream, as well as vegetarian dishes and desserts. On arrival you are dressed in a “chitenge” (traditional sarong) and welcomed into a vibrant at-mosphere in which tantalising aromas fill the restaurant, which is partially open to the star- filled African sky. A shared starter platter featur-ing peppered impala, smoked crocodile tail, vegetable samoosas and nyimo bean fritters has been introduced, while at the salad bar, new salads have been added and dressings improved, and to the mains new meat marinades. A drum painting corner has been introduced, where, guests,
Entertainment galore … The crowd is entertained during a previous dinner and drum show; and (inset) a guest enjoys the interactive drumming during The Boma — Dinner & Drum Show.
armed with a paintbrush and un-der a tutor’s guidance, may design and paint their own drum, map, bowl or other memorabilia, as a souvenir of their Boma experi-ence. In addition, a photo booth has also been installed on arrival at The Boma, allowing guests to capture that moment. Work has also been done to en-hance the artistic showmanship of entertainers. Africa Albida Tourism (AAT) chief executive Ross Kennedy said: “Now in its 25th year, The Boma — Dinner & Drum Show has so far hosted more than one million guests. In 2016 alone, over 61 000 visitors to Victoria Falls en-joyed the dinner and drum show,
Head chef Brighton Nekatambe (centre) and The Boma — Dinner & Drum Show culinary team.
creating a new record year.” AAT is a Zimbabwean hospital-ity group with a portfolio of hotels and restaurants in Victoria Falls and in Chobe, Botswana, includ-ing the Victoria Falls Safari Lodge, Lokuthula Lodges, Ngoma Safari Lodge and The Boma — Dinner & Drum Show. “As with all our products anc properties, the team at AAT is al-ways looking at ways to innovate enhance and improve and thii is yet another step in that ongo-ing exercise to keep abreast wits trends in service, presentatior and the overall experience,” Ken-nedy said. “Subtle changes in foot preparation, service equipmen and presentation along with nevi uniforms and branding all add lit and quality to The Boma — Dinne & Drum Show.” Tanzer said being iconic in Vic toria Falls, The Boma had bee treated carefully, and its essenc maintained — the relaunch ha not been to change it, but to re energise it. Tanzer said The Boma “tells th story of the Zimbabwean food an culture and the changes effecte have been about making it moi on trend, more contemporary, bi without losing its traditional feel However, a new chef Brightc Nekatambe, has been appoin ed to head The Boma kitche Nekatambe joined the hospita ity industry through Victoria Fal Safari Lodge’s apprenticesh programme from 2005 to 20C before leaving to pursue oth employment around Zimbalm and in Europe, and representi the country in three internatior culinary events. The event is expected to be i• tended by guests and visitors a also stakeholders in the Ziml bwean tourism industry. — St Writer.
