Wineland winners of EAT OUT 2009 Awards
Wednesday, 25 November, 2009
Graham Howe
Seven wineland restaurants won an "Oscar" in the Prudential Eat Out Top
10 Restaurant Awards 2009 announced this week. Graham Howe was there to
see the chefs of Constantia, Franschhoek and Stellenbosch trump the
biggest food event on the culinary calendar.
There's no business like the food show business when it comes to the annual Eat Out restaurant awards. Celebrating the tenth annual awards ceremony, Eat Out editor Abigail Donnelly - christened "the Don" by a witty chef - dished out the Oscars at the glam launch of "Eat Out 2010" at The Westin Grand Hotel ballroom in Cape Town.
Tension among the nation's top chefs ran high at the awards dinner. The competition was fierce as twenty nominees went head-to-head for a coveted place in the final top ten - out of the "1001 best restaurants in South Africa" showcased in the Eat Out 2010 guide. With 15 out of 20 nominees, the Western Cape again staked its claim as the culinary capital of South Africa - while 330 new restaurants won new listings in the bumper edition despite news reports of dozens of restaurant closures in the recession.
The awards kicked off on a controversial note with chef Bertie Basson of Overture at Hidden Valley Winery in Stellenbosch and Margot Janse of The Tasting Room at Le Quartier Francais in Franschhoek sharing tenth place. According to Arnold Tanzer, one of the three Eat Out judges, a mere half-a-point separated these two wineland restaurants - on a 100-point scorecard rating - and the points difference between all top ten restaurants (ranked 1- 10 by the panel of three judges) was a very close affair.
Editor Abigail Donnelly comments, "Although the rivalry among the top restaurants was fierce, we had to include both of these culinary gems (LQF and Overture). Each offers a unique dining experience in cooking techniques, menu composition and philosophy. While Overture has mind-blowing views and fresh flavours, The Tasting Room uses adventurous flavours with local ingredients and interesting plating."
The unprecedented draw means 11 restaurants made the Eat Out Top 10 in 2009 - led by La Colombe at Constantia Uitsig (No1), Mosaic near Pretoria (No2 - and a maiden Eat Out chef of the year award for Chantal Dartnell), Rust & Vrede in Stellenbosch (No3), Terroir at Kleine Zalze Winery (No4), The Roundhouse in Camps Bay (No5), The Restaurant at Grande Provence Winery in Franschhoek (No6), The Greenhouse at the Cellars in Constantia (No7), Roots in Krugersdorp (No8), 9th Ave Bistro in Durban (No9); Overture at Hidden Valley and Le Quartier Francais (both at No10).
"The Don' comments, "This year had the most gruelling judging process by far - it was very difficult for the judges to reach a consensus and there was fierce competition for each top 10 position. It was definitely the newcomers to the industry who have set the pace for an exciting gastronomic year ahead." She says the hallmark of South African food is "a wonderful simplicity in dishes without compromising on integrity and textures. We see chefs building great relationships with growers and producers".
The winelands begin in the city's very backyard. A new wave of culinary stars has emerged from The Constantia Wine Valley. Chef Peter Tempelhoff of The Greenhouse at The Cellars-Hohenort Hotel ("Food full of flavour and excellent technique in every dish") won a place in the top ten - while Luke Dale-Roberts of La Colombe at Constantia Uitsig ("Unique, sensory, complex and bold flavour combinations") won first place and Eat Out restaurant of the year for the second year. Cellar-door chefs like Dale-Roberts and Broughton also showcased Constantia Uitsig and Kleine Zalze wines paired with their signature dishes cooked up and served at the awards - while Boschendal presented its new MCC range and Veritas its top wines.
The Stellenbosch winelands again won three places in the Eat Out Top Ten. A triumvirate of three of South Africa's top chefs consolidates the golden triangle of the Helderberg as the culinary epicentre of the winelands - led by David Higgs of Rust en Vrede ("gorgeous attention to detail in every dish" commented the judges), Michael Broughton of Terroir ("An exciting menu with the finest sauces and some classics revisited with a modern philosophy") and Bertus Basson of Overture ("Modern architecture, mind-blowing views...unique fresh flavours and combinations").
With many city restaurants closing - from riboville and the showroom to geisha and nova - the wave of new restaurants in the winelands continued unabated in 2009, underscoring the pivotal role of cellar-door restaurants in attracting new consumers, building wine brands and boosting sales at the cellar-door. (Some brand new ones are listed in the stop-press of the new edition - the fabulous bistro sixteen82 at Steenberg Winery and the new restaurant under chef George Jardine at Jordan Winery.) Among 330 new entries in Eat Out 2009, I counted many new wineland town and winery restaurants - including cellar-door venues at Chamonix, Clos Malverne, Delaire, Glen Carlou, Klein Genot, Rickety Bridge, Simonsig, Solms-Delta and Waterkloof.
Wine bars like the new Chenin and Cru Café in the Cape Quarter are another growing trend in the city which will provide a window for the winelands in the city - along with new showcases like the 4,000 bottle wine loft at Maze at One&Only Cape Town.
Wineland restaurants have a great track record in the service stakes after winning the annual Eat Out service award four years in a row - Terroir (2006), Le Quartier Francais (2007), Terroir (2008) and Rust en Vrede (2009). With the FIFA World Soccer Cup 2010 six months away, service standards are critical to its success. Donnelly warns, "Service in South Africa is unique, friendly and willing, but we still need lots of training in the hospitality industry. Excellences shines through in efficient yet invisible service ... Hospitality and caring should come before technique."
I passed a personal milestone as winelands and city reviewer for my sixth edition of Eat Out - notching up some 450 reviews since 2005. When judge Arnold Tanzer asked me where I had enjoyed the best meals during 2009, I recalled the world-class cuisine at La Colombe had impressed me the most - with memorable lunches at Asara, Catharina's at Steenberg, Dornier Bodega, Overture and Franck Dangereux's Food Barn (Eat Out 2009 top twenty nominee) - as well as the sublime Japanese cuisine at Nobu both at One&Only Cape Town (a new entry) and Atlantis Palm in Dubai.
Tanzer, chef, culinary consultant and vice-president of the South African Chefs Association, comments on national food trends, "We've seen a wealth of new restaurants appearing around the country and many of the old favourites have had to sharpen their game to stay competitive. Worthwhile winter and gastro recession menus have also become common. Hopefully by this time next year, with the economic situation changing, more diners will be able to choose between crayfish or hake. Considering South Africa's talent, it's going to be a tasty ride."
Judge Pete Goffe-Wood, chef, culinary consultant and kitchen cowboy, concludes, "The slowdown in the economy has made value for money a very important factor and restaurants have risen to the occasion. There has been some terrific, artisanal cooking with cheaper cuts, and as a result, a broader range of cooking skills on show."
Graham Howe is a well-known gourmet travel writer based in Cape Town. One of South Africa's most experienced lifestyle journalists, he has contributed hundreds of food, wine and travel features to South African and British publications over the last 25 years.
He is a wine and food contributor for wine.co.za, which is likely the longest continuous wine column in the world, having published over 500 articles on this extensive South African wine portal. Graham also writes a popular monthly print column for WineLand called Howe-zat.
When not exploring the Cape Winelands, this adventurous globetrotter reports on exotic destinations around the world as a travel correspondent for a wide variety of print media, online, and radio.
Over the last decade, he has visited over seventy countries on travel assignments from the Aran Islands and the Arctic to Borneo and Tristan da Cunha - and entertained readers with his adventures through the winelands of the world from the Mosel to the Yarra.