In recent years, there has been a food revolution in South Africa. Today, the country boasts dozens of restaurants, offering world-class cuisine, and diners can enjoy dishes prepared by phenomenal culinary talent. The team from Eat Out recently took on the difficult task of deciding which of the country’s restaurants deserve a spot on the Top 10 list.
1. The Test Kitchen
Woodstock, Cape Town
Tel: 021 447 2337
Taking the title of Restaurant of the Year for the fourth year running, Luke Dale-Roberts’s edgy fine dining restaurant continues to display utter brilliance.
“Creativity, talent, innovation and oh, the food! This is what places The Test Kitchen at the forefront of South African dining,” said judge Abigail Donnelly, editor of Eat Out magazine.
Top-notch servers patrol the buzzing space in Cape Town’s Old Biscuit Mill, and tables book up many months in advance.
The contemporary menu is an eclectic blend of east and west. Think – if your imagination can manage it – shiitake in squid-ink chawanmushi with chestnuts, or a springbok rose of liver, chestnuts, beetroot and cocoa nibs.
2. La Colombe
Constantia, Cape Town
Tel: 021 795 0125
Chef Scot Kirton took home the title of S.Pellegrino Chef of the Year at this year’s awards – and the restaurant leapt from being a nominee in 2013, to the number two spot this year.
At the new venue on the Silvermist Estate in Constantia, the restaurant is perched on the side of the mountain like a modern, elegant lodge.
Scot is taking the opportunity to experiment and add a playful touch to his pretty plates.
Lift the lid of a tuna tin to find a Lilliputian seared tuna tataki, or sample the hen’s egg with poached salmon, asparagus velouté, peas and black forest ham.
Pastry chef Glen Williams is full of imagination – and the dessert of ginger curd, cashew cake with mango sorbet, black sesame brittle and buttermilk is not to be missed.
3. The Tasting Room
Le Quartier Francais, Franschhoek
Tel: 021 876 2151
Margot Janse celebrates 20 years at the restaurant in 2015, and dining here is an experience to savour.
Set aside three hours for the eight-course menu, which is constantly evolving but always pays homage to our country.
Dishes like “A day at the beach” – a fish dish with seaweed, eugenia, buchu and Natal wild plums – uses local ingredients to set the scene for a proudly local story.
The restaurant also took home this year’s Service Excellence Award (for the second year running) thanks to its superbly trained storytellers that serve the diners.
4. Greenhouse at The Cellars-Hohenort
Constantia, Cape Town
Tel: 021 795 6226
The menu at this Constantia restaurant is full of drama and detail, and each artfully dabbed dot on the menu is packed with flavour.
Standout dishes include a masterful cheese course displaying Dalewood’s Huguenot as a soufflé, in its pure form; in a panna cotta; and as a creamy, magnificent ice cream.
The restaurant has recently been refurbished and took home the 2015 Boschendal Style Award for its stylish charcoal walls, bare timber tables and comfortable leather chairs.
5. Five Hundred
Sandton, Johannesburg
Tel: 011 292 6000
Undoubtedly the brightest star on the Johannesburg skyline, the Saxon Hotel’s flagship restaurant delighted the judges with inspired technique and seasonal produce-driven creations from the hotel’s rooftop garden.
Executive chef David Higgs has announced his departure at the end of 2015, and will be succeeded by head chef Candice Philip.
Highlights include kabeljou pickle with a chorus of sultanas, broad beans, raw pea juice and toasted nori and the kudu loin with sherried gooseberries. Sommelier Lloyd Jusa took home the 2015 Wine Service Award.
6. The Restaurant at Waterkloof
Somerset West, Western Cape
021 858 1491
This wine estate restaurant makes the Top 10 list for the first time this year – and chef Gregory Czarnecki is cooking his socks off, creating fare as light and ethereal as his glasshouse lair in the Helderberg mountains.
Dishes might include a farmed Mulloway kabeljou with pistachio, broccoli and endive, or Joostenberg Vlakte duck with orange confit and a sultana fritter.
“Gregory’s cooking has never been this good. The flavours are incredible and his attention to colour and styling are just phenomenal,” said Donnelly.
7. Restaurant Mosaic at The Orient
Elandsfontein, Pretoria
Tel: 012 371 2902
Presided over by the supremely talented Chantel Dartnall, this restaurant turns out dramatic, emotion-led dishes, offset by precise attention to detail.
The salmon ceviche might be topped with caviar, gold leaf, lemon oil and buttermilk; and a purple glass plate in the shape of a shell holds a luscious plump oyster on a bed of seaweed, in Champagne foam with caviar and a hand-crafted ‘pearl’.
A charming and magical menu in this sumptuous space make for a supremely memorable journey.
8. Terroir
Stellenbosch
Tel: 021 880 8167
Chef Michael Broughton serves unpretentious but uncompromisingly delicious cuisine.
A starter of prawn risotto with sauce Americaine is so good, it may spoil you for the rest of the meal.
The parmesan risotto, topped with succulent sautéed prawns is a marvel of balanced flavour and textures.
The menu may appear simple, but brace yourself for the depth and technique. A relaxed, country-atmosphere makes this the perfect venue for a winelands lunch.
9. The Pot Luck Club
Woodstock, Cape Town
Tel: 021 447 0804
The Test Kitchen’s younger sibling makes the Top 10 list for the first time this year.
At the top of the Old Biscuit Mill’s silo building, with wraparound views of the Mother City, head chef Wesley Randles, under the guidance of Luke Dale-Roberts, turns street food into fine dining, in a thrilling array of tapas dishes.
Don’t miss the springbok carpaccio with pine nuts or the smoked beef fillet with truffled café au lait sauce.
A generous wine menu is complemented by outstanding cocktails like a ‘Thai green curry’ and the perennially popular pineapple-vanilla Cosmo.
10. Jordan Restaurant
Stellenbosch
Tel: 021 881 3441
Chef George Jardine and his head chef Kyle Burn are turning out food bursting with flavour – high on technique and low on flash-in-the-pan trends.
Moreish smoked Kroon duck breast with sautéed duck liver and cauliflower jus, or a honey and poppy-seed soufflé will comfort even the most seasoned diner.
The tranquil views over the lake and distant mountains make this a stellar spot for a warm, spectacular lunch. This article appeared in the 3 December 2015 edition of finweek. Buy and download the magazine here.