EAT OUT, “South Africa’s Best Guide to South Africa’s Best Food”, might well come in for some flack after publication of their 2016 Restaurant Awards sponsored by Mercedes-Benz – only one restaurant from outside the Western Cape cracked the nod for a spot among the Top 10 and only three among the Top 20. Respected restaurant critic and publisher of Platter’s
Read moreSMALL POINT BUT… Why have a menu at the home of such South African marvels as Beyerskloof Pinotage, blends including the country’s ‘indigenous’ variety, and the Pinotage burger, that lists some items in French, Italian, etc? However, moving right along… The Red Leaf Bistro is one of the hotspots on the Stellenbosch wine route, particularly since the restaurant was revamped and the range of
Read moreTHERE WAS much twittering in SA food and wine circles at the news that a South African restaurant called Jan in the city of Nice on the French Riviera had earned a star in the highly respected Michelin guide – one star indicative of ‘very good’ cuisine, two stars pronouncing ‘excellent’ and three stars denoting ‘exquisite’, a dining establishment considered to be among the
Read moreTHERE ARE fine-dining tables indoors with artworks on the walls, but the views from the verandah of a reed-lined dam and the Helderberg are difficult to resist! The new restaurant destination on the Somerset West wine route that is 95 at Morgenster is not the place for a simple plate of grub and a glass of any old vino. This is a
Read moreIT WAS ABOUT TIME! Long overdue, you might say… By far and away South Africa’s leading producer of fortified dessert wines over the past 30 years or so and with a reputation for great-value quaffers too, Nuy Winery east of Worcester had made do with a rather humble cellar-door tasting and sales facility until the new showcase venue, restaurant and deli opened
Read moreALL YOU NEED TO KNOW about the better restaurants, picnics and braais in the winelands of South Africa, i.e. on the farms, in among the vineyards, rather than in the cities, towns and villages. And with the emphasis on TOP – each table, bench or blanket given the nod of approval in the country’s leading restaurant guides Eat Out and Rossouw’s, and/or situated next
Read moreTHE RESTAURANT critics are largely in agreement… The top dining venue in South Africa for 2014 is The Test Kitchen at The Old Biscuit Mill in Woodstock, Cape Town, with Luke Dale-Roberts the chef-owner and Wayve Kolevsohn the somellier: third Restaurant of the Year accolade at the 2014 Eat Out Mercedes Benz Awards, 5 Stars at the 2014 Rossouw’s Diners Club Awards, one
Read moreFIRST THERE WAS Ernie Els, then there was Retief Goosen aka The Goose, and now there’s Louis Oosthuizen – three of South Africa’s most successful golf pro’s who have their names on the labels of some of the country’s best wines. We last reflected on the sporting wine route a couple of years ago as the Black Knight wines of Gary Player
Read moreWHERE TO EAT in the winelands of South Africa, at a winery, among the vines? Here are the best tables in the countryside when wine-routing in the Cape – all on farms associated with highly rated reds or whites, bubblies or desserts as recorded on Top Wine SA. Where indicated, the restaurants have earned particularly good reviews in the country’s restaurant guides Eat Out and/or Rossouw’s Restaurants,
Read moreTHE BAKERY at Jordan affords visitors to the estate in Stellenbosch Kloof an opportunity to wine and snack on a deck under the trees just below and to the side of the highly rated Jordan Restaurant… Upstairs is one of the Top 10 kitchens in the country where patrons indulge in fine dining and pay the price that comes with
Read moreNEDBANK’S presentation of American Express Platinum Fine Dining Awards to Waterkloof on the Sir Lowry’s Pass Road outside Somerset West and De Grendel on the Tygerberg Hill in Panorama/Durbanville brings the number of top SA wine farm restaurant laureates during the past year to around 20, i.e. including those that achieved top honours in the 2013 Eat Out Awards and/or Three Star ratings for
Read moreThe greenhouse at Babylonstoren, Paarl: great place for a snack and a glass of vino, or for some tea and cake if you’d prefer THEY ARE TWO of the most talked-about destinations on the wine routes within easy travelling distance of Cape Town, highly recommended on several fronts and each better than the other for this or that. Nobody’s perfect,
Read moreWHERE TO LUNCH when wine-routing in Wellington? Especially if you’d like a good table at one of the cellars in the area? Until recently this has been quite a challenge, a really big ask. Then in stepped ‘Groot’ Schalk Burger of Welbedacht Estate on Oakdene Road in the foothills of the Groenberg Mountain. Converting his office into a wine tasting room
Read moreIT’S DEFINITELY among the Top 10 places to eat at in Stellenbosch and has never disappointed when we’re up for a good, satisfying meal with good wines. In fact sometimes we just stop by for a snack and a glass at the bar or in front of the fireplace, or for some cheese and wine at the tables under the
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