It was a shock to see a Facebook post by Chef Chantel Dartnall of award-winning Restaurant Mosaic at The Orient, announcing that she is closing her restaurant on 28 March 2021, after 15 years of operating it outside Pretoria. Not only has the restaurant been on the Eat Out Top 10 List for many of these years, but Chef Chantel’s restaurant is probably the most highly internationally recognized South African restaurant.
Last month The Restaurant at Waterkloof closed its doors in Somerset West, another Eat Out Top 10 restaurant.
Monday 9 November 2020, Day 50 of Level 1, Day 228 of Lockdown 😷
It was a surprise message from Chef Gregory Czarnecki this morning that his Restaurant at Waterkloof will close down on 22 November, a Covid casualty. His future plans nor those of the restaurant space at the Waterkloof Winery are not yet known. Chef Gregory opened the restaurant eleven years ago, and he soon became known for his magnificent food presentation, and for his desserts in particular.
In less than a week after the closure of Viande Restaurant, owned by Chef Pete Goffe-Wood, in a space he leased at the Grande Roche Hotel in Paarl, Chef Kevin Grobler announced on Instagram that he is opening a new restaurant at the Hotel, and has been posting ads for new staff. The new restaurant will become The Restaurant at Grande Roche, and will open next month.