The Test Kitchen Restaurant -Cape Town, South Africa. The first fine dining restaurant to open in Cape Town’s gentrifying Woodstock. The food is based on popular global dishes with South African ingredients with a twist. The main dining area is a semi-industrial setting – think screed floors, exposed brick and metal, laid-back, friendly staff. The energy from the open-plan kitchen fizzes into the room. More classic-mod fare is served in the buzzy lightroom – like Eiland (local oryx) carpaccio, local kingklip smoked with curry leaves and scallops with a Cape Malay sabayon. Follow them on Instagram.
La Colombe’s Restaurant – Cape Town, South Africa. A stylish, light and airy space with views of the vineyards, reflecting the restaurant’s foliage and garden-inspired themes. With Crisp linen, earthy wood and well-considered crockery and cutlery make for an elegant experience. La Colombe has a reputation for sophisticated fine dining and beautiful foliage-inspired presentation is well-deserved. Set high above the Constantia wine valley, its lofty location adds to the feeling that you’re about to experience something special. We went to experience their eight-course menu with wine pairings that brought forth all our South African local flavours. Our food journey began and end with extraordinary food that was well thought out and magnificent in taste leaving your taste buds wanting more. The staff are professional and friendly. An experience you would never forget. Follow them on Instagram.
Overhex Winery & Bistro – Worcester, Western Cape. The Overhex Winery & Bistro has become a popular meeting place for friends, families, colleagues and business associates. It’s located on the scenic R60 between Worcester and Robertson. Guests can relish in bespoke breakfasts, artisanal pizzas and designer burgers. These are all home-made meals freshly prepared with hand-picked ingredients. Discover award-winning wines to please even the most fastidious connoisseur, and all are served with panache. Follow them on Instagram.
Chefs Warehouse – Beau Constantia, Western Cape. Serves an inspired tapas-style menu, but the dishes have head chef Ivor Jones’ unmistakable signature on them. Besides the fixed eight-course tapas menu served in three iterations, guests are urged to try the breadboard, fresh oysters and the desserts. Dishes like the chargrilled tuna with smoked corn, brown butter dressing, queso fresco, a sweetcorn tuile and a touch of miso finished off with popcorn dust will explain why the couple sitting next to you at lunch have opted to each do the Tapas-For-Two for one. You’d be forgiven for thinking the dishes have peaked too soon, but then more glory continues to come. The wine list is well-considered, but if you haven’t done a Beau Constantia wine tasting, you may as well ask your waiter to pair each iteration of dishes with a complementing wine. Impressive, both in summer when patrons can enjoy the outdoor terrace seating area and also in winter when you can cosy up near the crackling fire because one as you look out at the staggeringly beautiful view of the Constantia Valley below. Efficient and professional service delivered. Follow them on Instagram.
Winehouse at Ten Bompas –Johannesburg, South Africa. Playful décor elevates the fine dining mood. Every single step of the service is faultless. Nothing is too much trouble. The fabulous cellar is wonderful to explore and the range of wines are very interesting with over 1 000 bottles to peruse. The dishes here are intricately composed with plenty of elements on each plate and are well thought out in terms of colour and texture. A particularly memorable example is the ox tongue, which is gently treated for an al dente bite, served with sweet baby peas, and contrasted with homemade, slightly sharp pickles. Follow on Instagram