The Eat Out Awards have become known as the Oscars of the restaurant business, honouring the top chefs, sommeliers, staff and of course overall establishments as chosen by a respected group of judges. This year’s panel consisted of Eat Out Editor Abigail Donnely, Masterchef SA judge Chef Benny Masekwameng, Jackie Cameron, owner of the Jackie Cameron School of Food & Wine in KwaZulu-Natal, and celebrity chef Siba Mtongana, who all dined incognito (well, as incognito as is possible if you’re a well known face in the food industry) to seek out the best of the best.
The culmination of their efforts is celebrated at the Eat Out Awards ceremony, a massively popular affair that has enough glitz to give the Kardashian-West wedding a go. Nederburg was kind enough to extend an invite, allowing us to rub shoulders with the cream of the media and food industry, along with the chefs and teams of the most renowned restaurants in South Africa.
Because of last minute issues with the original venue, the event was moved to the SunExhibit Centre at GrandeWest Casino. Mercedes-Benz lined the walls with their latest models, guests could sip bubbly from Boschendal or savour some Glenfiddich whisky. Bootlegger Coffee Company was there to give us our caffeine fix and the gypsy band Manouche was ensuring a thoroughly festive atmosphere. As guests arrived waiters made the rounds with canapes, my favourite being the Thai Chicken Lollipops and the Pumpkin Fritter Lollipops – a light and fluffy version of the traditional pampoenkoekie.
While people mingled and admired outfits, I meandered to the back of the venue where several kitchen stations had been set up, making it look very much like a task out of Masterchef with teams of chefs plating hundreds of meals, and waiters carefully pouring glasses of wine.
We were finally invited to take our seats and prepare for the first dish. The bread course was prepared by Jason Lilley of Jason Bakery in Cape Town, paired with Striped Horse Craft Lager, turning this often overlooked part of the meal into a delicious experience.
First course was prepared by Scot Kirton of La Colombe, who treated us to Tuna tataki with avocado, quail egg, a seaweed puff, ponzu gel and radish, served in a chipotle broth. This was paired with one of my favourites, the The Young Airhawk Wooded Sauvignon Blanc from the Nederburg Heritage Heroes Range. It was probably my favourite dish of the day, with flavours layered to create depth, complexity and a rich umami goodness.
With the theme for the day being Sunday Lunch, it was only fitting that we enjoyed some of the classics. Nic van Wyk of Bistro 13 was responsible for the second course, serving a roast chicken pie with summer vegetables and a confit garlic velouté. Flaky, buttery pastry filled with rich, juicy chicken and a decandend sauce. Yum. This was paired with the Boschendal 1685 Chardonnay, which worked well to balance the rich dish and add sweetness and acidity.
Of course, what would Sunday Lunch be without lamb. The main course of the day was prepared by Michael Broughton of Terroir, who served Certified Karoo Lamb Shoulder with its own juice, confit tomatoes, onions, peas and potato gratin, paired with the Kevin Arnold Shiraz.
And finally it was time for dessert, a delicious Millionaire’s Shortbread by George Jardine and Kyle Burn of Jordan Restaurant, paired with the ever brilliant Nederburg Winemaster’s Reserve Noble Late Harvest. Layer upon layer of decadent chocolate, broken by the honeycomb sweetness of the Noble Late, this was a very indulgent and fitting end to a very fine dining experience.
Then it was finally time for the main events: Announcing the Top 10 Restaurants in South Africa.
Bread course by Jason Bakery
Tuna tataki
Roast chicken pie
Karoo Lamb Shoulder
Millionaire’s Shortbread
Here are your Eat Out Awards Top 10 Restaurants for 2015
1. The Test Kitchen (Woodstock, Cape Town)
No surprise there. The Test Kitchen has been getting nice and comfortable in first place, and this year they once again secured the top spot.
#TheTestKitchen taking the top spot once again at the @eatoutguide #Awards 2015 Amazing! #EatOutAwards #EatOutGuide @instagramcapetown @cityofcapetown #foodblogger #Foodie #Restaurants @NewMediaZA
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Nov 15, 2015 at 8:23am PST
2. La Colombe (Constantia, Cape Town)
3. The Tasting Room at Le Quartier Français(Franschhoek)
4. Greenhouse at The Cellars-Hohenort Hotel (Constantia, Cape Town)
5. Five Hundred at The Saxon Hotel (Sandton, Johannesburg)
6. The Restaurant at Waterkloof (Somerset West)
7. Restaurant Mosaic at The Orient (Elandsfontein, Pretoria)
8. Terroir (Stellenbosch)
9. The Pot Luck Club (Woodstock, Cape Town)
10. Jordan Restaurant (Stellenbosch)
Well done to Greenhouse and The Cellars-Hohenort for winning the Boschendal Style Award and the Lifestyle Achievement Award for the late Mrs M’s contribution to the restaurant and hospitality industry.
You can view the full list of awards here.
Me with the winning team from The Test Kitchen
Marina Smithers from The Cellars-Hohenort
Thoroughly wined and dined, it was time for us to head home. Thanks so much to Nederburg for hosting us and a huge applause to all the restaurants who were nominated and who made the top 10. It is such a privilege to be able to live in a country where we have cuisine of this caliber.
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