For an unprecedented fifth consecutive year, The Test Kitchen was named Restaurant of the Year.
Gregory Czarnecki of The Restaurant at Waterkloof won the coveted title of Eat Out S.Pellegrino & Acqua Panna Chef of the Year. Czarnecki also collaborated with six other top chefs on the lavish lunch for the event.
La Colombe, situated on the Silvermist Wine Estate in Constantia, again took second place on the prestigious list of Top 10 restaurants. This restaurant was also recognised for maintaining the highest level of service with the Eat Out Nespresso Service Excellence Award and the first-ever Eat Out John Psillos Award for Outstanding Contribution to Service, which was awarded to front-of-house manager Jennifer Hugé.
The much-admired chef, restauranteur and author Peter Veldsman was the winner of the Eat Out Lannice Snyman Lifetime Achievement Award.
The Eat Out Nederburg Rising Star Award went to Angelo Scirocco of Urbanologi in Johannesburg for his promising talent, and the Eat Out Wine Service Award for a top sommelier was won by Tinashe Nyamudoka of The Test Kitchen.
In another industry first, The Table at De Meye in Stellenbosch was the recipient of the inaugural Eat Out Woolworths Sustainability Award, which recognises a restaurant that is making strides towards sustainability by implementing environmentally and socially responsible practices and being cognisant of the importance of higher animal welfare. The judging panel for the Eat Out Woolworths Sustainability Award was independent from that of the Eat Out Mercedes-Benz Restaurant Awards and consisted of Abigail Donnelly of Eat Out, Pavitray (Pavs) Pillay of WWF-SASSI, Lynsay Sampson of Fairtrade South Africa, Sonia Mountford of Eategrity and Karen Welter of Longtable Project. (Find out more at eatout.co.za/sustainability.)
Foxcroft, the new restaurant opened by chefs Scot Kirton and Glen Williams of La Colombe, was named the Eat Out Retail Capital New Restaurant of the Year. Marble in Rosebank, Johannesburg, received the Eat Out Boschendal Style Award for its show-stopping interior design and décor. The winner of the Woolworths TASTE Eat Out Bursary was Ayanda Matomela, who was selected for his passion and enthusiasm.
Below is the detailed list of the 2016 Eat Out Mercedes-Benz Restaurant Awards winners:
1. The Test Kitchen (Woodstock, Cape Town)
2. La Colombe (Constantia, Cape Town)
3. The Restaurant at Waterkloof (Somerset West)
4. The Tasting Room at Le Quartier Français (Franschhoek)
5. Restaurant Mosaic at The Orient (Elandsfontein, Pretoria)
6. Overture (Stellenbosch)
7. Greenhouse at The Cellars-Hohenort (Constantia, Cape Town)
8. The Kitchen at Maison (Franschhoek)
9. Foliage (Franschhoek)
10. Camphors at Vergelegen (Somerset West)
In addition to the Top 10 restaurants, we also honoured some stellar restaurants and individuals with special awards.
Eat Out S.Pellegrino & Acqua Panna Chef of the Year: Gregory Czarnecki of The Restaurant at Waterkloof
Eat Out Nespresso Service Excellence Award: La Colombe
Eat Out Nederburg Rising Star: Angelo Scirocco of Urbanologi
Eat Out Retail Capital New Restaurant of the Year: Foxcroft
Eat Out Wine Service Award: Tinashe Nyamudoka of The Test Kitchen
Eat Out Lannice Snyman Lifetime Achievement Award: Peter Veldsman
Eat Out Boschendal Style Award: Marble
Eat Out John Psillos Award for Outstanding Contribution to Service: Jennifer Hugé of La Colombe
Eat Out Woolworths Sustainability Award: The Table at De Meye
Woolworths TASTE Eat Out Bursary winner: Ayanda Matomela
The judges who worked alongside Eat Out editor and chief judge Abigail Donnelly to determine the Top 10 restaurants in South Africa and the Eat Out S.Pellegrino & Acqua Panna Chef of the Year, as well as the winners of the Eat Out Nespresso Service Excellence Award, the Eat Out Wine Service Award, the Eat Out Nederburg Rising Star Award, the Eat Out Lannice Snyman Lifetime Achievement Award and the Eat Out John Psillos Award for Outstanding Contribution to Service, were Carianne Wilkinson of the Silwood School of Cookery, and chef David Higgs. The winners of the Eat Out Retail Capital New Restaurant of the Year and the Eat Out Boschendal Style Award are chosen by Abigail Donnelly in consultation with Eat Out’s panel of critics around the country. For more information on the judging for each of the awards, visit eatout.co.za/awards.
Says Donnelly: "2016 has probably been my most exciting and inspiring year of eating out. Chefs are capturing our imaginations with imaginative, emotive cooking, and fine producers are elevated yet again. South Africa’s restaurants really are world-class. I’m particularly thrilled about the amazing restaurants popping up in Johannesburg right now, where a new generation of legends is leading the way."
@Eat_Out | #EatOutAwards
