Discover South Africa’s pair of world class restaurants
Two of South Africa’s most exclusive restaurants have been named as among the top 100 in the world.
The pair are in Cape Town on the west coast with The Test Kitchen securing number 63 on the world list and La Colombe at number 76.
The list is organised by the The World’s 50 Best Restaurants, with international sponsors, and a ceremony for the 2017 winners will be held in Melbourne, Australia tomorrow (April 5).
Last year the winner was Osteria Francescana (Modena, Italy), and El Celler de Can Roca (Ginora, Spain) was second, while Eleven Madison Park (New York City, USA) was third.
This year’s winners are a closely guarded secret however, in the run up to tomorrow evening’s awards, the organisers released details of the restaurants placed from 51 through to 100, and it includes the two South African establishments.
Judges were made up of food writers, chefs restaurateurs, and well-travelled gastronomes. Each judge was only allowed to cast seven votes, three of which must apply toward restaurants outside home their regions.
The Test Kitchen and La Colombe are are already ranked number one and two in South Africa on the Mercedes-Benz Restaurant awards Top 10.
But on the worldwide awards tomorrow, The Test Kitchen dropped down the list compared with 2016. Katharine Jacobs, an author at Eat Out said the fall may be the results of the restaurant being closed for almost two months last year. For La Colombe it is a rise and it went up by three spots from 76 last year.
However, to wine and dine at these restaurants does not come cheap for South Africans, though in international some argue they offer spectacular value.
The Test Kitchen’s cheapest option is a vegetarian meal set at R1,200 ($88) going all the way up to the set menu with an “iconic” wine pairing at R2,650 ($1,894) per person. The restaurant is found in Woodstock, Cape Town.
“I want my guest to be surprised and delighted, to wonder what ingredients we have used and how we made it. It should be an adventure!” says Luke Dale-Roberts, chef and owner of The Test Kitchen (pictured above).
At La Colombe a Full Gourmand meal including wine costs diners R1,780 ($130), while its reduced menu R690 ($50) and R1,270 ($173) with wine. The restaurant is located at Silvermist on the slopes of Table Mountain in a breathtaking area in Cape Town.
”Each plate is an Instagram moment, with delicate pops of colour or otherworldly coral-like structures of the crispiest pork crackling – even the plates are carefully selected to compliment each dish,” says Matthew Ibbotson of review website, Crush Online.
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