Category Archives: Stellenbosch

New Restaurants open in Cape Town and the Winelands: January 2023 update!

 

The Cape Town and the Winelands restaurant opening boom continues, with new openings late last year and new restaurants announced for 2023.

The biggest restaurant opening extravaganza is that of JAN Franschhoek, the third restaurant in the JAN Restaurant Collection, which opened n December at La Motte in Franschhoek. La Motte is undergoing a major renovation and changes at its wine estate, with a Bread-related Café & Deli opening  in the La Motte Manor House in February 2023. Chef Chris Erasmus is working with La Continue reading →

La Colombe named Best Restaurant, Utopia Best Rooftop Restaurant in Africa in World Culinary Awards!

 

The Cape and therefore South Africa has garnered most top Restaurant awards in Africa at the World Culinary Awards 2022. The winners were announced in Dubai last night.

La Colombe in Constantia was named Africa’s Best Restaurant 2022, while Utopia Cape Town received the honour of being named Africa’s Best Rooftop Restaurant 2022. It is the second year running for both restaurants to win their respective categories. Continue reading →

Cape Town and Winelands see host of new restaurant openings: December 2020 update!

 

Cape Town and the Winelands is experiencing a restaurant boom, with new openings currently as well as openings announced for 2023.

The biggest restaurant opening extravaganza is that of JAN Franschhoek, the third restaurant in the JAN Restaurant Collection, opening at La Motte in Franschhoek. La Motte is undergoing a major renovation and changes at its wine estate, with a Bread-related Café & Deli opening  in the La Motte Manor House in February 2023. Chef Chris Erasmus is working with La Motte as a consultant, until February. He is going overseas thereafter. Chef Peter Tempelhoff opens his third restaurant next week, a Japanese Street Food restaurant Ramenhead. Chef David Higgs has announced opening Continue reading →

Platter’s by Diners Club Wine Guide 2023 Awards 5 stars to 196 wines!

 

The 43rd edition of Platter’s by Diners Club Wine Guide has announced its 2023 list of 196 wines in 28 categories that were awarded 5 stars this year. A total of 8000 wines by 900 producers was evaluated this year.

Red and White Blends as well as Chenin Blanc are the biggest 5 star classes, with 28, 27 and 28 individual labels, respectively. The Chardonnay, Shiraz/Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon wine categories also performed well, with 22, 16, and 12 brands, respectively.

The Top Performing Winery of the Year goes to the winery that achieves the most five-star ratings after the annual final tasting round, it being Mullineux this year, with 8 five-star wines. It is the Swartland- Continue reading →

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 →

Introducing Zunia Bouchers-Myers and Melanie Paltoglou at Avontuur Restaurant: 2022 Top 10 Women Chefs

 

Last month Chefs Zunia Boucher-Myers and Melanie Paltoglou of Avontuur Restaurant were named as 2022 Top 10 Women Chefs in the Cape.

It was a lucky month for the two chef owners, whose Avontuur Restaurant was also named as Best Date Night Restaurant in the KFm 30 Best in the Cape.

The Top 10 Women Chefs in Cape Town and the Winelands were announced on Women’s Day. Each winner receives a 1 litre tube of Rio Large Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Continue reading →

September Restaurant Opening and Closing Update: Cape Town and Winelands

 

 

Despite it being Spring, few new restaurants are known to be opening, or planning to open, in Cape Town and the Winelands.

The biggest recent restaurant openings are Dusk in Stellenbosch, a joint venture by Chefs Darren Badenhorst and Callan Austen. Chef Peter Tempelhoff is to open a Japanese Street Food restaurant on the ground floor of Speakers Corner, the building in which FYN operates. TANG will create a big stir when it opens in the Waterfront, already being a socialite’s haven in Sandton. Paul’s Bakery and Tiger’s Milk are said to be Continue reading →

Overture Restaurant to close down at Hidden Valley in September!

 

Surprise news from Chef Bertus Basson is that fine dining restaurant Overture is closing down at Hidden Valley in Stellenbosch on 30 September, after operating for 15 years at the wine estate. It was the first restaurant Basson opened.

The informal restaurant The Deck at Hidden Valley is also closing down.

This reduces the number of restaurants which Chef Bertus owns in Stellenbosch to five.  Continue reading →

Top 10 Women Chefs in Cape Town and the Winelands: 2022

 

For the third year running we are acknowledging female chefs heading up restaurant kitchens in Cape Town and the Winelands.

Started during Lockdown in 2020, as a celebration of Women’s Day, the Top 10 Women Chefs List highlights how few top restaurants have female chefs in their kitchens in general, and even fewer have women chefs heading up the restaurant kitchens.

We are grateful to Brenda Wilkinson of RIO LARGO Olive Estate for sponsoring a gift of its beautiful colourful Extra Virgin Olive Oil packs to our Top 10 Women Chefs. Continue reading →

Restaurant Review: Post & Pepper spices up Stellenbosch restaurant scene !

 

Two weeks ago I did a walk through the centre of Stellenbosch, to update myself about the restaurants having opened and closed in the town since I last visited it just before the start of Lockdown.

I wanted to try Post & Pepper specifically, having seen its posts, and that it had been nominated as a Best New Restaurant in Africa by the World Culinary Awards, only a few months after opening on Plein Street, in a space that was the Post Office of the town. Continue reading →