{"id":207090,"date":"2020-07-22T10:44:05","date_gmt":"2020-07-22T08:44:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.chrisvonulmenstein.com\/blog\/?p=207090"},"modified":"2020-07-24T05:42:06","modified_gmt":"2020-07-24T03:42:06","slug":"exhibit-a-the-first-fine-dining-restaurant-to-close-down-due-to-the-corona-lockdown","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.chrisvonulmenstein.com\/blog\/cape-town\/exhibit-a-the-first-fine-dining-restaurant-to-close-down-due-to-the-corona-lockdown\/","title":{"rendered":"Exhibit A in Cape Town the first Fine-Dining Restaurant to close down due to the Corona Lockdown!"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\"\"\u2018We\u2019re very sorry to announce the permanent closure of @exhibit_a_by_syn
\nUnfortunately, the ANC and refusal to use our tax money for the good has led to us having to close our doors for good. We hope that they all sleep soundly in their stolen homes, with their expensive cars bought with stolen money. As for us, we\u2019re done funding this circus of lies, blame and denialism. It took a pandemic to wake us up to a very real and very old problem.
\nTo our loyal guests, we apologize and appreciate your support as always, but enough is enough.
\nIt\u2019s been epic SA \ud83d\ude4c\ud83c\udffb\ud83c\udf36\ud83d\udc9a
\nBye for now \ud83d\ude1c\u2019<\/i><\/p>\n

With this angry message on Instagram and Facebook Chef Rikku O\u2019Donnch\u00fc announced the permanent closure late last night of his fine-dining restaurant Exhibit A, which had traded from the Villa 47 building on Bree Street in Cape Town.<\/p>\n

Chef Rikku is a chef of a different kind, and impressed me with his ability and willingness to listen \"\"to customer feedback, accepting what he valued. \u00a0He is a rebel of an unusual kind, not going with the majority flow, but having his own independent mind. He is hugely creative and innovative in his food preparation and presentation, having worked at leading international restaurants The Fat Duck and French Laundry before coming to South Africa. He raised the bar of our local restaurant industry, other top fine-dining restaurant chefs improving their offering in reaction.<\/p>\n

I met Chef Rikku almost two years ago, when he was setting up the kitchen for the G\u00e2te Restaurant at the Quoin Rock Wine Estate. Instead of approaching Eat Out, he contacted me, and invited me to an introductory visit, largely still a building site at the time, to share the concept for his new restaurant.<\/p>\n

The G\u00e5te Restaurant opening was the most spoken about locally, everyone wanting to experience the Molecular Gastronomy techniques of Chef Rikku and his team, with Sous Chef Warwick King.<\/p>\n

G\u00e5te Restaurant at Quoin Rock takes SA restauranting to a new level, experiential and interactive dining and wining at its finest!<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n