{"id":95611,"date":"2017-11-15T00:03:00","date_gmt":"2017-11-14T22:03:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.chrisvonulmenstein.com\/blog\/?p=95611"},"modified":"2017-11-15T17:34:52","modified_gmt":"2017-11-15T15:34:52","slug":"are-conde-nast-house-garden-gourmet-restaurant-awards-2017-a-predictor-for-the-2017-eat-out-restaurant-awards","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.chrisvonulmenstein.com\/blog\/cape-town\/are-conde-nast-house-garden-gourmet-restaurant-awards-2017-a-predictor-for-the-2017-eat-out-restaurant-awards\/","title":{"rendered":"Are Cond\u00e9 Nast House & Garden Gourmet Restaurant Awards 2017 a predictor for the 2017 Eat Out Restaurant Awards?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"On Monday evening Cond\u00e9 Nast House & Garden presented its Gourmet Restaurant Awards 2017, in conjunction with Discovery Vitality, at Klein Constantia. Restaurants were awarded in a number of categories, with some surprises, and the awards may be an indicator as to which of the 30 Eat Out Restaurant finalists will make it into the Eat Out Top Ten Restaurant list on Sunday!<\/b><\/p>\n

The category winners and runner-up chefs\/restaurants, with the list of finalists, are as follows: <\/p>\n

GOLD AWARD FOR CONSISTENCY AND CHEF EXCELLENCE<\/u><\/b><\/p>\n

Winner<\/b>: Liam Tomlin, Chefs Warehouse, Beau Constantia, Thali, Cape Town; Singita Game Reserves
\nRunner-up:<\/b> Chris Erasmus, Foliage, Franschhoek<\/p>\n

The Gold Award is presented to \u2018a chef who has performed consistently well across various platforms or over a number of years at one establishment<\/u><\/i>\u2019 (our underlining)! It is a tremendous accolade to Chef Chris Erasmus of Foliage to have been named as a runner-up in this category. <\/p>\n

Chef Liam Tomlin, the \u2018granddaddy\u2019 of chefs, and his Chefs Warehouse & Canteen, has been awarded as the Best Tapas restaurant in the Eat Out Everyday Eateries awards as well as being named as a Top 30 Eat Out Finalist, an absolute contradiction! For the past two years Tomlin has not managed to make the Eat Out Top 10!  Chef Chantal Dartnall of Restaurant Mosaic would have been a worthy winner in this category, in my opinion! <\/p>\n

Nominees for this category were the following:<\/u>
\nHarald Breschelschmidt, Aubergine, Cape Town
\nMichael Broughton, Terroir, Stellenbosch
\nChristiaan Campbell, Boschendal, Franschhoek
\nLuke Dale-Roberts, The Test Kitchen, The Pot Luck Club, Shortmarket Club, Cape Town; LDR x The Saxon, Johannesburg
\nFranck Dangereux, The Foodbarn, Noordhoek
\nChantal Dartnall, Restaurant Mosaic, Pretoria
\nJacques Erasmus, Hemelhuijs, Cape Town
\nMarthinus Ferreira, DW Eleven-13, Johannesburg
\nArno Janse van Rensburg, The Kitchen at Maison, Franschhoek
\nGeorge Jardine, Jordan Restaurant, Jardine Restaurant, Stellenbosch<\/p>\n

BEST HOTEL RESTAURANT<\/u><\/b><\/p>\n

Winner<\/b>: La Petite Colombe at Le Quartier Fran\u00e7ais, Leeu Collection, Franschhoek (photograph)\"\"
\nRunner(s)-up<\/b>: Luke Dale-Roberts x The Saxon, Johannesburg; Greenhouse at Cellars Hohenhort, Cape Town<\/p>\n

This is a weird Award category, as there are very few restaurants of note operating within hotels. Hotel restaurants traditionally are poor. La Petite Colombe only opened three months ago, a minimal period of operation in which to receive this Award! Once again Restaurant Mosaic should have won this category! The Oyster Box is a strange bedfellow to this restaurant collection! Indochine rather than the Delaire Graff Restaurant may have been a more worthy nominee, given that Executive Chef Michael Deg left the restaurant at the end of September! <\/p>\n

Nominees in this category were as follows:<\/u>
\nBabel at Babylonstoren Farm Hotel, Franschhoek
\nCatharina\u2019s at Steenberg, Cape Town
\nDelaire Graff Restaurant, Stellenbosch
\nLevel Four, 54 on Bath, Johannesburg
\nMakaron, Majeka House, Stellenbosch
\nNobu at One&Only, Cape Town
\nRestaurant Mosaic at The Orient, Pretoria
\nThe Grill Room at The Oyster Box, Durban
\nThe Restaurant at Hartford House, KZN Midlands
\nView at Four Seasons Westcliff, Johannesburg<\/p>\n

BEST TASTING MENU<\/b><\/u><\/p>\n

Winner(s)<\/b>: The Test Kitchen, Cape Town and La Colombe, Cape Town
\n\"\"Runner-up<\/b>: Restaurant Mosaic, Pretoria (photograph)<\/p>\n

This is the ultimate battle ground for the Eat Out Top Ten Restaurant Awards later this week, The Test Kitchen and La Colombe being close competitors for Top Restaurant. For the first time the playing field should be level between these two restaurants, given The Test Kirchen\u2019s spectacular crash in the World\u2019s 50 Best Restaurant List earlier this year, costing our country no longer having a contender in the top fifty restaurant list! Chef Luke Dale-Roberts has been extremely low profile since the crash, while La Colombe is pushing itself through Facebook posts, the TripAdvisor accolade having little credibility! And continuously seems short-staffed, and offering specials, despite it being Summer already! It is a shame to see the egos of the restaurant chefs get in the way! Once again Restaurant Mosaic is the star of the show in this category, and Chef Chantal Dartnall has won a number of top international accolades  this year! Weird is that The Kitchen at Maison is on this list, Chef Arno Janse van Rensburg having left the restaurant at the end of last month, opening his Janse & Co restaurant in Cape Town next month. The restaurant will be taken over by Chefs Warehouse, and will not be offering a Tasting Menu! <\/p>\n

Nominees for this category were:<\/u>
\nCamphors at Vergelegen, Stellenbosch
\nFaber, Avondale, Paarl
\nFermier, Pretoria
\nOverture, Stellenbosch
\nLa Petite Colombe at Le Quartier Fran\u00e7ais, Franschhoek
\nThe Kitchen at Maison, Franschhoek
\nGreenhouse, Cape Town
\nThe Restaurant at Waterkloof, Somerset West<\/p>\n

HIDDEN GEM<\/b><\/u><\/p>\n

Winner<\/b>: Wolfgat, Paternoster
\nRunner-up:<\/b> Mzansi, Langa<\/p>\n

Wolfgat appears a worthy winner, Creative Chef Kobus van der Merwe foraging in his home village of Paternoster, from the sea, and from the coastline.  The Table at De Meye is commendable in its approach to farm to table seasonal produce, and does not blow its trumpet, truly hidden. Karoux in McGregor is a star gem too, that I have been lucky to experience a number of times this year. It has gone empty-handed at Eat Out this year, not even making the Top 30 Restaurant list nor its Eat Out Everyday Eateries, a regular winner in the past. Eat Out insultingly classified Betty Blue Bistro a Coffee Shop in its Everyday Eateries awards recently! <\/p>\n

Nominees in this category:<\/u>
\nBetty Blue, Hermanus
\nCamilla\u2019s Kitchen, Prince Albert
\nIndian Summer, Durban
\nKaroux, McGregor
\nLa Lampara, KZN Midlands
\nLa Sosta, Swellendam
\nPablo Eggs-Go-Bar, Johannesburg
\nMarianna\u2019s, Stanford
\nThe Table at De Meye, Stellenbosch<\/p>\n

NEIGHBOURHOOD EATERY<\/b><\/u><\/p>\n

Winner<\/b>: The Chefs Table, Umhlanga, Durban (photograph) \"\"
\nRunner-up<\/b>: Coobs, Parkhurst, Johannesburg<\/p>\n

This could be an equivalent to the Eat Out Everyday Eateries, but I did not experience The Chef\u2019s Table as a local neighborhood eatery one returns to regularly as \u2018our second dining room\u2019<\/i>, as defined in the awards, offering a Tasting Menu. Caf\u00e9 Bloom is a surprise inclusion in the list, having been taken over by Chef Jonty Nicholson, and renamed Country Market when I visited it in the Midlands in August already! <\/p>\n

Nominees in this category are<\/u>:
\nAlfies, Pretoria
\nAmore, Cape Town
\nBellevue Cafe, Durban
\nBellini\u2019s, Johannesburg
\nCafe Bloom, KZN Midlands
\nEatery JHB, Johannesburg
\nLa T\u00eate, Cape Town
\nSage Cafe & Deli, Litchi Orchard, Durban
\nSurf Riders Food Shack, Durban
\nThe Glenwood Restaurant, Durban
\nPesce Azzurro, Woodstock<\/p>\n

BEST NEW RESTAURANT<\/u><\/b><\/p>\n

Winner<\/b>: Momo Soko, Johannesburg
\nRunner-Up<\/b>: Pablo Eggs-Go-Bar, Johannesburg<\/p>\n

Both these restaurants are unknown to me. Including SCHOON on this list is a joke, this tiny coffee shop hardly being a restaurant, and has been open for less than two months! La Petite Colombe should also not have been on this list, given that it has only operated for just more than three months. Bosjes Kombuis has a beautiful setting, but hardly belongs in this category! <\/p>\n

Nominees are as follows:<\/u>
\nLa Boqueria, Johannesburg
\nBosjes Kombuis, Ceres
\nThree Wise Monkeys, Sea Point
\nMomo Baohaus, Johannesburg
\nLa Petite Colombe, Franschhoek
\nOld Town Italy, Johannesburg
\nReubens Restaurant & Bar, Franschhoek
\nCaf\u00e9 du Cap, Cape Town
\nSchoon, Somerset West
\nForti Grill & Bar, Pretoria<\/p>\n

DECOR & DESIGN<\/u><\/b><\/p>\n

Winner<\/b>: Marble, Johannesburg
\nRunner-up: <\/b>Mink & Trout, Cape Town<\/p>\n

Marble won the Eat Out Boschendal Style Award last year, so there is good synergy in this Award recipient. Mink & Trout\u2019s makeover does not come close to the decor design of Marble! Bosjes Kombuis building has no spectacular design features, other than the exterior Delft-like tile wall design!  The Werf Restaurant probably would have been a more worthy Decor & Design runner-up. <\/p>\n

Nominees were the following:<\/u>
\n1904 Bistro Am\u00e9ricain, Durban
\nBosjes Kombuis, Ceres
\nCaf\u00e9 Del Sol Tre, Johannesburg
\nDon Armando, Johannesburg
\nOrangerie at Le Lude, Franschhoek
\nPintxada Tapas Bar, Durban
\nShortmarket Club, Cape Town
\nWerf Restaurant, Stellenbosch<\/p>\n

VITALITY WELLNESS<\/u><\/b><\/p>\n

\"\"Winner<\/b>: Raw and Roxy, Cape Town (photograph)
\nRunner-up<\/b>: Tree Natural Caf\u00e9, Durban<\/p>\n

Both these restaurant names are unfamiliar to me. The award recognizes restaurants \u2018preparing whole, seasonal ingredients\u2019<\/i>. Surely Werf Restaurant at Boschendal, and Babel at Babylonstoren, would have more worthy contenders? Plant is on the nominee list, but closed down some months ago!  The list of nominees sounds like a \u2018Lentil and Headscarf\u2019 brigade! <\/p>\n

Nominees were as follows:<\/u>
\nConscious 108, Johannesburg
\nEarth Mother Cafe, Durban
\nFree Food, Johannesburg
\nFresh Earth Caf\u00e9, Johannesburg
\nGreen Beans, Cape Town
\nThe Greenside Caf\u00e9, Johannesburg
\nLeafy Greens Caf\u00e9, Johannesburg
\nSpirit Caf\u00e9, Cape Town
\nPlant, Cape Town
\nSexy Food, Cape Town
\nMarrow, Cape Town<\/p>\n

SMALL PLATES<\/b><\/u><\/p>\n

Winner<\/b>: Chefs Warehouse at Beau Constantia, Cape Town
\n Runner-up: <\/b>Pintxada Tapas Bar, Durban<\/p>\n

From everything I have seen, the category winner is a worthy winner. It could be funny if this Chefs Warehouse makes Eat Out Top Ten, and Chefs Warehouse & Canteen does not!  Foxcroft will have its nose out of joint in not winning this category, and also appears to be struggling, in continuing Winter specials in summer!  Chalk & Cork is a joke on this list! <\/p>\n

Nominees on this long list are as follows:<\/u>
\nBistro 1682, Cape Town
\nChalk & Cork, Cape Town
\nChefs Warehouse & Canteen, Cape Town
\nCulture Club, Bar de Tapas, Pretoria
\nEscondido, Johannesburg
\nFork, Cape Town
\nFoxcroft, Cape Town
\nS43 Home to That Brewing Co, Durban
\nMakaron at Majeka House, Stellenbosch
\nMarigold, Franschhoek
\nMulberry & Prince, Cape Town
\nShio, Cape Town
\nThali, Cape Town
\nThe Foodbarn Deli, Noordhoek
\nThe Pot Luck Club, Cape Town
\nUrbanologi, Johannesburg<\/p>\n

KITCHENAID READERS\u2019 CHOICE<\/u><\/b><\/p>\n

Winner<\/b>: 9th Avenue Bistro, Durban
\nRunner-up: <\/b>Ten Bompas Winehouse, Johannesburg<\/p>\n

This is the biggest joke of the Gourmet Restaurant Awards, in that a Social Media driven vote led to this winner outcome! \u2018Voted for solely by Gourmet readers through various social media channels, this is our people\u2019s choice \u2013 your favourite restaurant in the country, picked by you. Throughout the year we have been running competitions calling for entries to vote; once having narrowed it down to the nominees, readers once again selected the winner. This award is not judged by our judges. This year\u2019s winner, as chosen by you, is 9th Avenue Bistro, which has continued to remain at the forefront of the Durban dining scene since its inception in 2001<\/i>\u2019.  Have the Gourmet Restaurant Awards organisers been near this dive, to associate themselves with this restaurant, especially given that Durban hardly is the Social Media or Restaurant Metropolis of South Africa?  I was shocked at its poor quality, when visiting the restaurant for dinner in August. The nominee Restaurant list is very diverse, even including Eat Out Top 10 level restaurants! We all know that Social Media is the easiest voting system to manipulate!<\/p>\n

Restaurant Review: 9th Avenue Bistro in Durban in the dark ages, slides further!<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n