Cattle Baron - Skukuza, Kruger National Park, South Africa

Night 1: We stay in Skukuza. Our first and only night inside the park. Basic circular cabins carry all amenities including an outdoor cooking area and a fridge. 

Not that you need them; Nhongo provides an ample food allowance to cover your dinner and your breakfast.

Their restaurant is the Cattle Baron. Service is SLOW so don't stop for a sit-down if you have somewhere to go. 

The Meat Board for Two is perfect for couples who are indecisive or enjoy making poor decisions together. The samples are sizable, though sticking with their flaming filet would have been the better choice. The sirloin is on the dry side, the venison is tough, and their "cattle baron bernaise" taste suspiciously like a mix of BBQ with a dash of A1. 

Dinner disappoints somewhat, but the breakfast buffet is fun. Avoid the pancakes - they're the texture of a frisbee. The Beef Sausage is salty and a bit dry, much tougher than the Pork Sausage, and the bacon is chewy rather than crisp, but that seems to be the style in South Africa. The sautéed onions and mushrooms are perfect - I've never been to a country that can sauté so consistently, as strange as it sounds.

Pap is a new item for us, a thick cornmeal with the texture and finish of solid grits. Bland and filling, it sinks in your stomach like a pleasurable rock, keeping you full all day. Definitely add some of that stewed tomato sauce, though, as the pap itself is as bland as it looks.

Nhongo doesn't give you lunch, but after breakfast we start to see why. It's not easy to eat after these keep-you-full-all-day buffets, and although I'm not the biggest fan of Cattle Baron, I do appreciate their pricing.