Who will be named South Africa’s top restaurants? Will it be a Winery?

Thursday, 10 October, 2013
Eat Out
Eat Out has announced the nominees for this year’s prestigious Eat Out DStv Food Network Restaurant Awards.
Considered South Africa’s most prestigious gastronomic event to celebrate chefs, restaurants and the culinary industry, this year’s awards will take place on Sunday 10 November 2013 at The Lookout at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town.
The nominees are: Bread & Wine, Camphors at Vergelegen, Delaire Graff Estate Restaurant, DW Eleven-13, Five Hundred, The Greenhouse, Hartford House, Indochine, Jordan Restaurant, The Kitchen at Maison, La Colombe, Makaron, Overture, Pierneef à La Motte, Planet Restaurant, The Restaurant at Waterkloof, Rust en Vrede, The Tasting Room, The Test Kitchen and Tokara.

Amongst the above candidates will be the winners of the following categories: Restaurant of the Year, Eat Out San Pellegrino Chef of the Year, Service Excellence and the Top 10 restaurants.

For the third consecutive year, the winners of the ‘Best of’ categories will also be announced at the Awards. They are the Jacobsdal Best Steakhouse Award, Best Asian Restaurant, Best Italian Restaurant, Best Country-style Restaurant and Best Bistro, as well as the winner of the Boschendal Style Award.

Aileen Lamb, General Manager of Eat Out, said, “We’re confident in our new approach to the judging process and the subsequent audit of the results. In the interest of transparency, which has been our focus from the outset, we will make the scores available to all the nominees.”

Apart from a lavish gourmet experience and celebrations of peers in the industry, the awards event will also include the revelation of the anonymous South African-based judges, who worked alongside editor of Eat Out and chief judge Abigail Donnelly to determine the winners.

Donnelly said of the nominees, “This year we have definitely seen a bit of a shake-up. There are some new additions to the list, as well as the consistently great restaurants that continually push boundaries through innovation.”

As for the atmosphere in the judged restaurants, Donnelly says a polished yet casual scene has emerged. “High quality food is being served to diners who are encouraged to be comfortable and relaxed.” Ultimately, however, it’s the food that counts. “Taste is the emotional component of a dish, making it the most vital element. The scorecards show which restaurants excel in flavour and not just the fussy stuff. Many of our native ingredients have been celebrated, making them the future of South African food,” Donnelly concluded.

For tickets to attend the Eat Out Dstv Food Network Restaurant Awards, contact Julie Potgieter at julie@newmediaevents.co.za or 021 417 1257. Tickets are priced at R1450 per person and seats are limited. Reserve yours soon to avoid disappointment. Visit www.eatout.co.za for more information.

Follow @Eat_Out on Twitter to join the conversation and see live updates on the night (#eatoutawards #DStvfood) and like the Eat Out Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/EatOutMag. The Eat Out magazine 2014 will be available at the end of November.

WineLand