From the beach and field
This seaside eatery in South africa’s Western Cape is restaurant of the year.
DON’T be surprised if you get a bowl of rocks when you order oysters from the menu.
At Wolfgat in South Africa, recently dubbed the world’s best restaurant, head chef Kobus van der Merwe forages ingredients from the beach and his nearby surroundings, including local rock pools.
The South African restaurant Wolfgat is located in a 130-year-old cottage on Paternoster beach, where it offers a seasonal tasting menu of what chef Kobus van der Merwe calls “Strandveld food” – an Afrikaans word meaning from the beach and field.
What’s on the menu? Smoked mussels over wild sage branches, served with grapefruit and pickled kelp.
You can also expect to find plenty of sustainable seafood and local lamb and venison, with many ingredients locally sourced and herbs and vegetables being picked freshly that day.
The restaurant says it also offers a salad of watermelon and South African ice plant with pickled watermelon rind, celery shavings and pumpkin seeds.
The small, rustic eatery next to the ocean was named restaurant of the year at the new Best Restaurant awards in Paris.
To sample any of its dishes, before heading to South Africa’s picturesque Western Cape, you’ll first probably need to book well in advance.
Only 20 people can dine at the restaurant at a time and by keeping it small it’s sustainable, Van der Merwe says. – dpa