Cape eateries lead SA

Yet again, eateries in Cape Town and its environs dominated the rankings of the Eat Out restaurant awards, with the city's La Colombe, in Constantia, proclaimed the best of the best.

With chef Luke Dale Roberts presiding over the kitchen, the restaurant has now bagged top spot for the second year running.

The awards were presented at Cape Town's Westin Grand Hotel last night, 22 November 2009.

In second place was Pretoria's Mosaic restaurant, the chef of which, Chantel Dartnall, also won the Chef of the Year award. Third place went to the Rust en Vrede, in Stellenbosch.

Judges, including Eat Out magazine editor Abigail Donnelly, could not decide between Overture in Stellenbosch and the previous No.1, The Tasting Room at Le Quartier Francais, in Franschhoek, and let them share 10th position.

For the second consecutive year, most of the winning restaurants were from Western Cape, only three in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal.

But Donnelly said the country's economic capital shouldn't feel too bad.

"Johannesburg is turning into the centre of ethnic eating in South Africa. Dining is less formal, but if you want the best Chinese, go straight to China Town and much the same goes for Portuguese, African and Indian. They are all authentic," she said.

"Cape Town is all about lifestyle and, with the winelands around the corner, it's only natural that fine food and wine go together."

But Johannesburg radio talk-show host and food columnist Jenny Crwys-Williams was a little less generous, saying few restaurants in the city came out on top because the city was a "frustrating desert for foodies".

"The majority of the restaurants which repeatedly make the Eat Out top 10 are chef-owned.

"They have an intimacy with the restaurant and a desire to make it work," she said.

Donnelly gave editor's choice awards to Cape Town's Bizerca Bistro for best bistro, and to Mariana's Home Deli and Bistro, in Stanford, for best country kitchen.

Eat Out restaurant award winners at a glance:

1. La Colombe - Constantia, Cape Town
   
2. Restaurant Mosaic - Crocodile River Valley, Pretoria
   
3. Rust en Vrede Restaurant - Stellenbosch
   
4. Terroir - Stellenbosch
   
5. The Roundhouse - Camps Bay, Cape Town
   
6. The Restaurant at Grande Provence - Franschhoek
   
7. The Greenhouse at the Cellars - Constantia, Cape Town
   
8. Roots - Krugersdorp, Johannesburg
   
9. 9th Ave Bistro - Morningside, Durban
   
10. Overture - Stellenbosch; The Tasting Room at Le Quartier Français - Franschhoek

For more information, see: www.eatout.co.za

Source: The Times

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