Foodie Oscars?
Foodie Oscars?
There may be a move towards uncomplicated ingredients on café plates but fine dining menus still dominate the foodie awards. Pretoria is leading the Gauteng culinary charge after Chantel Dartnall was named Eat Out Chef of the Year 2009.
Her Restaurant Mosaic degustation menus inspire diners to drip adjectives in Pretoria's The Orient Boutique Hotel. The other Gauteng slot goes to Roots at Forum Homini Hotel, while Durban's sole representative is 9th Ave Bistro.
The majority of Eat Out's Top 10 venues are again in the Cape. La Colombe takes top spot - and the Restaurant of the Year accolade - for the second year running.
Conspicuous by their absence are 2008 rankers Jardine and Bizerca, but Rust en Vrede and Terroir both retain good positions, while Overture and Le Quartier Français are nudged down into joint 10th place. Newbies include The Roundhouse, The Greenhouse at The Cellars and The Restaurant at Grande Provence. Rust en Vrede Restaurant is singled out for a service excellence award, with the winery restaurant having also recently been named overall winner in the Best of Wine Tourism Awards for South Africa in 2010.
