Cape Town’s The Test Kitchen has been named the Best Restaurant of the Year at the 2012 Eat Out Dstv Food Network Restaurant Awards.
While last year’s top 10 restaurants were judged solely by Eat Out editor Abigail Donnelly, this time around duties were shared with London-based food columnist for the Wall Street Journal Europe, Bruce Palling. Like Donnelly, Palling has been on the judging panel for the San Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurants Awards, and while Palling was able to contribute fresh eyes and a fresh palate to our finest restaurants, when it came down to the wire, his and Donnelly’s opinions matched closely.
The awards were held on Sunday at The Westin Cape Town.
The full list of winners (from www.eatout.co.za):
The Top 10 restaurants:
1. The Test Kitchen
2. The Tasting Room
3. Jordan Restaurant
4. Overture
5. Rust en Vrede
6. DW Eleven-13
7. La Colombe
8. The Greenhouse
9. Terroir
10. Hartford House
Restaurant of the Year
The Test Kitchen
Chef of the Year
Margot Janse of The Tasting Room
Service Excellence Award
Rust en Vrede
The Lannice Snyman Lifetime Achievement Award (Paarl Media)
Alicia Wilkinson of Silwood School of Cookery
Best Bistro
9th Avenue Bistro
Best Steakhouse
Carne SA
Best Country-style Restaurant
Fresh at Paul Cluver Wine Estate
Best Asian Restaurant
Saigon (Gardens)
Best Italian restaurant
Café del Sol
Boschendal Style Award in association with Visi
Green House at Babylonstoren