One of South Africa’s most iconic and internationally acclaimed fine dining establishments, La Colombe, has just been announced the country’s top restaurant at the 2019 Eat Out Mercedes-Benz Restaurant Awards.
The Eat Out Awards, held on November 17 at the Grand West Arena in Cape Town, honours the top culinary talents the country has to offer.
“This is an incredible achievement for the team – I’m very lucky to have such a dedicated, self-motivated and passionate team who all have the same dreams and all work towards the same goal,” said Executive Chef James Gaag in his acceptance speech. “I could not be prouder of them for all their hard work and passion. This achievement is all theirs!”
La Colombe moved from their 2018 third place placement to win the top prize in 2019. The acclaimed restaurant also took home the coveted title of “Restaurant of the Year”, having previously peaked at second place in 2015 and 2016.
La Colombe’s sommelier, Joseph Dhafana, also won the 2019 Wine Service Award, a coveted title among fine dining sommeliers.
Lynda Ingham-Brown, one of the Eat Out critics, says that La Colombe’s win is well deserved for their beautiful food presentation.
“La Colombe’s 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. The eight-course menu is a reflection of Gaag’s interpretations of local flavours presented in a refined, sometimes quirky, manner.”
La Petite Colombe – La Colombe’s sister restaurant in Franschhoek, also placed in the Eat Out Awards top 10 for the second consecutive year.
“The team and I are absolutely thrilled to once again be featured among the top 10 restaurants in the country,” says Head Chef, John Norris-Rogers. “We consider this a real achievement and are honoured to be ranked with some of the many fantastic restaurants also featured. We would like to thank Eat Out for considering us for this amazing honour!”
Scot Kirton, Chef Proprietor of La Colombe, concludes, “I simply could not be prouder of the team. When we moved to Silvermist five years ago we all had the same dream – to make La Colombe the number one restaurant in South Africa – and today we achieve this dream.”
The top 10 restaurants in the country are:
1. La Colombe (Constantia, Cape Town)
2. The Test Kitchen (Woodstock, Cape Town)
3. The Restaurant at Waterkloof (Somerset West)
4. Wolfgat (Paternoster)
5. FYN Restaurant (City Bowl, Cape Town)
6. La Petite Colombe (Franschhoek)
7. Eike (Stellenbosch)
8. Salsify (Camps Bay, Cape Town)
9. Restaurant Mosaic at The Orient (Elandsfontein, Pretoria)
10. Chefs Warehouse at Beau Constantia (Constantia, Cape Town)
Picture: Andrea Van der Spuy