Category Archives: KwaZulu-Natal

SA restaurants awarded with stars for the first time in 2022 Eat Out Woolworths Restaurant Awards!

 

The Eat Out Restaurant Awards were held for the first time in three years today, an eagerly awaited event, given the impact of the Lockdown on the restaurant industry, and the change in the restaurant awards system, restaurants no longer ranked, but rated with 1, 2 or 3 stars.

It was a surprise to read a year ago that Eat Out would reintroduce its Awards this year, and that Abigail Donnelly was heading up the judging for the awards again, after an absence of a number of years. Continue reading →

How safe is the Western Cape from unrest and looting today?

 

KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng provinces are in a war zone, a politically motivated looting and arson at factories and shopping malls in the main.  These provinces are already running low on petrol, and basic food items. Residents are standing in long queues at supermarkets, to stock up.

Fortunately the Western Cape is reasonably peaceful, and the only incidents which are occurring are related to a Taxi war, two associations being in conflict with each other. This is affecting the travel of staff to and from work. Continue reading →

Few restaurant openings and closures in Cape Town and the Winelands: February 2019

The tough conditions for the restaurant industry in Cape Town and the Winelands continue, with few restaurants opening or closing. A surprise is that Bertus Basson @ Spice Route is no longer operating, a killer negative review late last year possibly being the nail in the coffin. Now Basson only has five Stellenbosch restaurants plus all his catering assignments and TV appearances to juggle! Interesting is that Chef Liam Tomlin has opened a ‘contemporary ecological tapas’ restaurant in Barcelona, well-suited to his tapas restaurant offerings!

Restaurant openings

#   Ellen Jay has opened inside Constantia Fabrics. Continue reading →

2017: A year of finding my feet, both on and off the dance floor!

A year ago I posted here on my Blog that 2016 was the best year of my life. Looking back on 2017, I can echo this sentiment about 2017, surpassing what was already a fantastic 2016! The year was crowned by the publishing of my first book, and I plan to write two this year. I discovered my Self-Love, and now can truly stand on my own two feet!  Continue reading →

Eat Out Restaurant Awards 2017: shock results, dominated by Chef Luke Dale-Roberts Restaurants!

At the Eat Out Restaurant Awards 2017 this evening, held at GrandWest, some shock results stunned the restaurant industry. Eat Out continues its love affair with Chef Luke Dale-Roberts, with three of his four restaurants making the Top 10 Restaurant List, a spectacular achievement! The biggest shock was the spectacular slide of La Colombe, the restaurant which had all the opportunity to make the number one slot, but only making the seventh rank, a karmic reaction to the restaurant losing focus, opening too many restaurants, and getting involved in restaurant politics! Continue reading →

Eat Out Top 30 Restaurant shortlist 2017: Why is JAN restaurant missing? Chefs Luke vs Liam, breaks its own eligibility rules on three restaurants!!!


It is not the first time that Eat Out has broken its own rules in choosing the chefs eligible for the previous Top 20 Restaurant lists (until 2016, The Pot Luck Club of Chef Luke Dale-Roberts having been snuck in, when it had only been open for 11 months and two weeks in 2014), and this year the same has happened in the Top 30 list for the first time. Three restaurants had not opened by 1 November 2016, the cut-off date for eligibility for the Awards this month, according to Eat Out’s own rules, yet are included in its shortlist! Missing from Eat Out’s List is JAN Restaurant in Nice, our country’s best South African restaurant, and awarded a Michelin-star in 2016 and in 2017! 
Continue reading →