Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on May 2013

Hilton Tokyo has teamed up with the South African Embassy to provide The Essence of South Africa, a lunch buffet from June 5-9 in the first-floor Marble Lounge (6-6-2 Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku; http://tokyo.hilton.com). For ¥4,600 per person (¥2,500 per child) sample the dishes of Lindsay Venn, the executive chef of Cape Town hotel Southern Sun The Cullinan, while your heart pulses to the live performance of percussive troupe Drum Café. The multicultural culinary offerings of the republic are referred to as “rainbow cuisine,” as you’ll appreciate with dishes such as grilled crocodile with dried cranberries, spiced ostrich carpaccio with kumquat relish, and superlative sweets like koeksisters, or braided, syrup-coated doughnuts. South African wines are offered for an additional charge.