Cape restaurants rule
TICKLING THE TASTE BUDS: SOUTH AFRICA’S BEST EATERIES ANNOUNCED
Former gardener turned sommelier Moses Magwaza walks away with the wine service award.
The aim of the Eat Out Mercedes-Benz Restaurant Awards is to elevate the culinary industry in South Africa. This year’s awards, held on Sunday, recognised old and new talent and in general, the men and women who work tirelessly in the kitchen to create dazzling menus to nurture and grow a food-appreciative culture in South Africa.
The GrandWest in Cape Town hosted more than 700 guests as the top 20 restaurants were revealed.
The Restaurant at Waterkloof under chef Gregory Czarnecki took the top spot – and it came as no surprise. The young chef’s menus keep evolving and his ability to work well with others is remarkable.
Led by Margot Janse, the anonymous judging panel were tasked with picking deserved winners.
Janse says the judges’ task was to pick the best of the best. “I am a chef at heart and know what it takes to make a restaurant unique and successful. I understand the pressures of maintaining and exceeding expectations.”
The biggest winners were Luke Dale-Roberts and Chantel Dartnall. Dale-Roberts’s The Test Kitchen is second on the list with The Shortmarket Club and The Pot Luck Club taking 19th and 20th spots respectively. The Test Kitchen also clinched the service excellence award.
Restaurant Mosaic at The Orient in Gauteng, the only inland restaurant on the list, climbed to seventh on the top 10 list. Its former sommelier Germain Lehodley walked away with the John Psillos Award for outstanding contribution to service, while new sommelier Moses Magwaza walked away with the wine service award. Magwaza began as a gardener at the restaurant.
Another impressive addition to the awards was Janse&Co. The eatery was lauded as the new restaurant of the year after opening less than a year ago.
Top 10 restaurants
1. The Restaurant at Waterkloof – Somerset West in Western Cape; 2. The Test Kitchen – Cape Town; 3. La Colombe – Constantia, Western Cape; 4. Wolfgat – Paternoster, Western Cape; 5. La Petite Colombe – Franschhoek, Western Cape; 6. Greenhouse at The Cellars-Hohenort –Constantia, Western Cape; 7. Restaurant Mosaic at The Orient – Tshwane in Gauteng; 8. Camphors at Vergelegen – Somerset West, Western Cape; 9. Jardine Restaurant – Stellenbosch, Western Cape; and 10. Chef’s Warehouse at Beau Constantia – Constantia, Western Cape.