What is the number one restaurant in South Africa?
Yesterday, Sunday 20 November, saw the 2016 Eat Out Mercedes-Benz Restaurant awards and what a gastronomical delight it was. The Grand Arena at Grand West held the prestigious occasion and was transformed in a luxurious secret garden. 700 guests were treated to food that awakened every one of the five senses.
One of the best things I have ever eaten was a dessert made by Michelle Theron of Pierneef a La Motte. Just picture this; pistachio, matcha and apricot opera, Valrhona Ivoire, lemon blancmange and Boiron morello cherry. Don’t have a cooking clue what I am talking about? Me neither, but goodness, it taste good. Here is a picture I took so that you could at least see what I ate.
We were also treated to a smoked salmon trout ‘Niçoise’, bone jelly and miso-cured tofu cream by Luke Dale-Roberts of The Test Kitchen, which of course took the number one spot for the evening.
Divisional Marketing Manager of Mercedes-Benz South Africa, Selvin Govender, spoke about the brand and the many accolades it has acquired this past year. He also spoke about a few of its initiatives and one that stuck with me is that of Beautiful News. Every day at 16:14, a beautiful news story will be published. The significance of 16:14 is that it is the exact time Nelson Mandela was released from Robben Island. You must visit the Beautiful News Website.
If you haven’t yet seen another of Mercedes=Benz’s great campaigns, you are missing out. Watch episode five…and then the others. Here is J’Something of Mi Casa and Hugh Masekela’s song Heaven in You.
So you want to know which restaurants took the top 10 spots? Interestingly, nine of them are in the Western Cape, so if you live here, lucky you!
The Top 10 restaurants Eat Out Awards 2016
1. The Test Kitchen (Woodstock, Cape Town)
2. La Colombe (Constantia, Cape Town)
3. The Restaurant at Waterkloof (Somerset West)
4. The Tasting Room at Le Quartier Français (Franschhoek)
5. Restaurant Mosaic at The Orient (Elandsfontein, Pretoria)
6. Overture (Stellenbosch)
7. Greenhouse at The Cellars-Hohenort (Constantia, Cape Town)
8. The Kitchen at Maison (Franschhoek)
9. Foliage (Franschhoek)
10. Camphors at Vergelegen (Somerset West)
For more information on all the winning restaurants visit eatout.co.za