WHY I’M STEPPING OFF THE TOP 10 LIST
Chef Chantel Dartnall and her Restaurant Mosaic have won Eat Out recognition 10 times. She has withdrawn herself from eligibility for the award
Almost since the inception of the Eat Out guide in 1998 there has been criticism about the Capecentric bias of the annual restaurant awards. This year, the only non-Cape restaurant on the list of SA’s Top 10 was Restaurant Mosaic at The Orient in Elandsfontein, Pretoria West. Chef-patron Chantel Dartnall, 10 times recipient of a Top 10 award, tells us why she is stepping aside from the Eat Out awards.
I am extremely proud of what my team and I have achieved to date. Restaurant Mosaic has been blessed with a plethora of local and international accolades and recognition throughout its 13 years in operation.
I have decided that after having set foot on the Eat Out stage 10 times, being consistently recognised not only as one of their Top 10 restaurants but also having taken home the title of Chef of the Year twice, and Mosaic’s sommelier Moses Magwaza having also had the honour of going home with the Wine Service Award for two consecutive years, we will be stepping aside and vacating our position in the Top 10 lineup to allow for the new generation of chefs and restaurants to shine on the culinary stage.
There are so many incredibly talented chefs in South Africa, so it is always an honour to be acknowledged as one of the top 10 restaurants in the country. However, I feel that there were so many chefs that did not get featured and receive the recognition they deserve.
It is everyone’s dream to be recognised and awarded for the quality of their work, and professional chefs are no different, but I think there is a place for a new award system in South Africa. Look at the renowned Michelin Guide that has been in existence for more than 100 years — it provides a platform where a multitude of chefs and restaurants are awarded for their culinary talents on different levels without being allocated a ranking order that stirs rivalry amongst peers.
I think there is a place for a new award system in South Africa. Look at the renowned Michelin Guide
CHANTEL DARTNALL
How can you say that Leonardo da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa” is better than Monet’s “Water Lilies”? Competitions that put restaurants in a certain sequence of excellence are always more contentious than those that honour excellence among peers.
There’s a growing sentiment that no restaurant outside of Cape Town and the Winelands is worthy of an Eat Out award. It is sad but it is being fostered by the continuation of a small circle of restaurants earning the same accolades year on year. I believe there are a number of restaurants of merit not only in Gauteng but right throughout the country.
I feel the first “award” any chef can have is recognition from the “audience”, who are our patrons. As chefs, every time we step into our kitchens, we are actors on the stage and awards are like applause, and every actor needs to hear applause! My team and I will continue to focus on what we do best at Restaurant Mosaic — creating magical dining experiences for our guests, supporting our local suppliers and growing the talent of our young chefs and front- of- house team.
RIGHT OF REPLY
Eat Out is the only brand that judges all restaurants without exclusions. Our awards are not based on nominations, restaurants don’t pay to be included, we pay for meals in full and our judges dine anonymously. We look for ways to improve all the time.
Tourism is a factor behind the bulk of restaurants in the top 30 being in the Cape. There are a lot more restaurants providing fine dining in the Cape. That said, you can argue that the cuisine is slightly different in Johannesburg and Gauteng because the market demands are different, and maybe we need to devise a way to be more inclusive of that.
Chef-patron of Restaurant Mosaic