Cape Town - From fine dining to popular eateries, 17 Western Cape contenders are among the 20 national finalists who will be competing to earn a spot as the country’s top 10 restaurants at the annual Eat Out Mercedes-Benz Restaurant Awards on Sunday.
Since its inception in 1998, the awards have grown in size and stature, and this year’s finalists offer an exciting mix of new contenders as well as established restaurants that have been celebrated for their excellence in the past.
One of the new kids on the block is The White Room at Dear Me in Longmarket Street. What sets them apart from other eateries is that they cater for nearly every dietary requirement, says head chef Vanessa Marx.
“We don’t make people feel awkward about it (their diet) or make them feel that they are being a nuisance. We really like to make everyone feel welcomed, from people who are lactose intolerant to gluten sensitive,” says Marx.
“If you can’t find anything suitable on the menu, I create something that would be suitable for you,” she says.
“We also get some raw-fooders, so we get really creative. It definitely adds a different element.”
We met Marx at her restaurant, which is in a three-storey building, divided into three venues. Downstairs is the Dear Me brasserie, on the second floor is The White Room – an event space – and upstairs is Tjing Tjing – a cosy, stylish bar.
Marx explains that their food is simple and celebrates local seasonal produce by using the freshest ingredients of the highest quality.
“It’s very important to me to showcase the amazing produce that we have available,” she says.
When you visit you have to try the “Vegetable Garden”, one of their popular dishes which was inspired by the Oranjezicht City Farm.
“It’s basically a little garden on a plate,” says Marx of the dish that consists of fresh vegetables, zucchini and mint velouté with truffle soil.
Marx, who has been cooking for about 10 years, says being nominated for the awards is “super exciting”.
“We don’t really have our hearts set on being in the top 10. For us being in the top 20 is already great.
“We are nearly four years old and things are going really well. There is so much different stuff going on and we are constantly evolving,” she says.
Another new entry is Sea Point’s La Mouette restaurant, headed by chef Henry Vigar. The restaurant offers modern French cuisine with a distinctly Mediterranean flair.
It’s situated in a beautiful old building in Regent Road, which once belonged to a mayor of Cape Town and at some point was a convent.
Its captivating interior, divided into several rooms, is rustic and homely, with impressive chandeliers and fireplaces.
Vigar started cooking at 14 and worked his way up from washing pots at restaurants in his London hometown to travelling the world learning from its greatest chefs.
“I am quite a hyperactive person. I don’t think I could do anything else but cooking. The long hours don’t really bother me,” he says.
“What I enjoy the most about cooking is the creative side of it, working with your hands to create something from scratch, and watching a satisfied diner after a good meal.
“We do affordable fine dining and do quite well with our tasting menus,” says Vigar.
He explains that he enjoys working with local ingredients.
“Over time I have become accustomed to what is on offer here. A lot of it is about using the ingredients that are available. I am trying as much as possible to use local ingredients.
“We have a lot of tourists that come to Sea Point this time of year and they like to order stuff like springbok, Namibian lamb.”
One of Vigar’s favourite dishes is his Ploughman’s lunch, a popular midday English pub snack.
The dish, among other ingredients, includes cheese and caramelised onions.
“Being nominated is absolutely a dream for me. It’s a real achievement. It’s nice to have recognition and I am really honoured. It’s been really good for business,” he adds.
A little further afield is another first-time contender – The Restaurant at Newton Johnson in Hermanus. Chef Eric Bulpitt says what sets his restaurant apart is its location in the picturesque Hemel-en-Aarde Valley.
“We are also one of the very few restaurants with an open fire in the kitchen. Open-fire cooking is very close to every South African’s heart and we use the fire in the kitchen to bring subtle smoky flavours to our food without it tasting like a braai,” he says.
He describes the restaurant’s decor as minimalistic, with big open spaces and windows to allow maximum focus on the views and kitchen.
“The ambiance is relaxed and casual with a serious emphasis on the food,” he explains.
Bulpitt studied hospitality management but fell in love with working in the kitchen.
“It gave me a sense of belonging, yet unbelievable freedom,” he says.
He has also always been involved in food preparation.
“As a kid, holidays were spent on my grandfather’s self-sustainable farm.
“Big family gatherings meant big food preparations.
“We would always slaughter a cow, sheep or pig for Christmas,” he says.
About their nomination, Bulpitt says: “We are very honoured to be recognised for the work we put in. Chefs spend a great deal of time working on making people happy and there is no greater feeling than for the industry to give you a pat on the back, saying, ‘well done’.”
Other nominees:
Bread & Wine, Franschhoek
DW Eleven-13, Joburg
Five Hundred, Joburg
Jordan Restaurant, Stellenbosch
Makaron, Stellenbosch
Overture, Stellenbosch
Planet Restaurant, Gardens
Restaurant Mosaic, Pretoria.
Rust en Vrede, Stellenbosch
Terroir, Stellenbosch
The Greenhouse, Constantia
The Kitchen at Maison, Winelands
The Pot Luck Club, Woodstock
The Restaurant at Waterkloof, Somerset West
The Tasting Room, Franschhoek
The Test Kitchen, Woodstock
Tokara, Stellenbosch
Awards at Thunder City
Eat Out is one of South Africa’s most respected food guides. The country’s definitive restaurant guide, it started 16 years ago. Over the years it has evolved into a brand that covers all aspects of the food industry – from restaurants to stores and markets.
Aileen Lamb, general manager of Eat Out magazine, says she is “very excited about this year’s list of nominees”.
“We’ve seen a number of significant and newsworthy changes at the country’s top restaurants over the past year, which means that – besides the excellent restaurants we’ve celebrated before – there are some very deserving newcomers to the list,” she says.
“We look forward to honouring these phenomenal restaurants for their stellar work.”
The awards will be held on Sunday at an exclusive dinner event hosted at Thunder City at Cape Town International Airport.
Cape Argus