The Michelin Guide has introduced a worthy new symbol to restaurants which care about the environment. Using a five-leaf clover, it was introduced in France on 27 January 2020 for the first time, when the new symbol was awarded at its annual star event to 50 restaurants out of a total of more than 3500 Michelin-recognised restaurants. The Sustainable Gastronomy symbol will be awarded to Michelin restaurants internationally as and when the new 2020 Michelin Guides are published this year. Continue reading →
The Grande Roche Hotel in Paarl was the epitome of hospitality many years ago, German-owned and with cigar-smoking Hotelier Horst Frehse at the management helm. Its Bosman’s restaurant was our country’s number one for many years, until its star faded, Frehse left, and For Sale signs were seen for many years. Now the hotel is in new local hands, the name of the restaurant has changed, and it has a new Chef Patron to redevelop it! 
Just two months after the termination of the ten-year relationship between Chef Peter Tempelhoff and The Liz McGrath Collection, and with it Top Ten Greenhouse restaurant, it has been announced that he has been appointed as Culinary Director at the prestigious Ellerman House in Bantry Bay, Cape Town. 
A new silver service training service has been launched by Rufus Scholtz, promising to turn front of house staff into 5-star fine dining staff within fourteen days. His Etiquette Modern Silver Service training service promises to train staff to create delighted loyal patrons when they leave the restaurant, to return for future eating experiences. 
The new words on serious diners lips are ‘Gåte’ and ‘Quoin Rock’, both not having been heard of by most, but already associated with superlative dining, on a wine estate tucked away outside Stellenbosch where no expense had been spared to create eating and drinking experiences to take one’s breath away! This is what we experienced when invited to eat at Chef Rikku O’Donnchü’s Gåte restaurant on Friday evening. I was still pinching myself over the weekend as to whether this was real, or just a dream. I invited my friend Stuart Bailey to share this experience with me. 
Very quickly and quietly The Harbour House seafood restaurant at Constantia Nek has been transformed into a fine-dining The Restaurant at The Nek, now making it part of an interesting trio of fine-dining experiences at the pinnacle of Constantia, flanked by Eat Out Top 10 restaurants La Colombe and Chef’s Warehouse Beau Constantia.