somerset west Best restaurants in South Africa

Waterkloof, Somerset West (Facebook)

Somerset West eatery tops list of best restaurants in South Africa

Compliments to the chef, here. The Restaurant at Waterkloof is Eat Out’s top pick from the best restaurants in South Africa. Kudos!

somerset west Best restaurants in South Africa

Waterkloof, Somerset West (Facebook)

Eat Out have published a list of the best restaurants in South Africa, and they’ve got a new favourite ahead of the chasing pack. The Restaurant at Waterkloof in Somerset West – 30km outside of Cape Town – has been awarded the coveted title.

Significantly, Waterkloof has knocked Test Kitchen off the top spot. The lavish Woodstock location is famous for hosting the Obamas and was even featured on the British series of Masterchef.

The Restaurant at Waterkloof: Menu, service and information

However, prestige has made way for pure, unadulterated flavour. Gregory Czarnecki is the head chef there, and his menu has been praised for its “fearlessness”. Eat Out also noted his “unique style of artful simplicity” when justifying their decision to put Waterkloof ahead of everyone else.

The restauranteers and food connoisseurs waxed lyrical about their visit to the eatery earlier this year. Eat Out’s website gave this glowing review, which has got us licking our lips just thinking about this fine dining spectacular:

“To start, arriving in quick succession, are the impeccably beautiful bite-sized dishes of tandoori and langoustine, the oyster and saffron cauliflower, and the vichyssoise and caviar.”

“The first dish is the most aesthetically pleasing dish of the year: a tomato consomme with basil, chives, rosemary and verbena, followed by rich snails in a green spinach, mint and blue cheese sauce.”

“The uncontested highlight is a simple dish of Mauritian sea bass with leek ash, watercress and pommes boulangerès. The aroma of the sauce being poured over the fish is like an olfactory orgasm, capable of evoking long lost memories of holidays I had in Saint-Paul-de-Vence in the south of France.” – Seth Shezi, Eat Out.

Waterkloof from afar (Facebook)

Best restaurants in South Africa – Western Cape shines

When a menu is described as orgasmic, you know you’re in good hands. It wasn’t just Waterkloof that came in for high praise, however. Eat Out revealed their top 10 restaurants in South Africa, too.

Incredibly, nine of the 10 are situated in the Western Cape – with the only highly-rated eatery elsewhere being located in Pretoria (Restaurant Mosaic at The Orient). Here’s how it all panned out.

Best Restaurants in South Africa, as ranked by Eat Out:

(Links are provided to find out more about each venue)

1. The Restaurant at Waterkloof, Somerset West

Food: Fine-dining food, French, Modern.

Cost: R1400 per person from the set menu.

Best for: Truly special occasions, such as marriage proposals or an epic celebration.

2. Test Kitchen, Woodstock, Cape Town

Food: Fine-dining food, Modern.

Cost: A 10-course Gourmand Menu is R1600, which rises to R2250 with wine pairing and R2000 with tea pairing. All rates given are per person.

Best for: When you fancy something fancy, but totally hearty as well.

3. La Colombe, Constantia, Cape Town

Food: Asian, Fine-dining food, French, Modern, Vegetarian.

Cost: The price of the set menu has been reduced to R990 (with wine pairing R1740) and gourmand menu R1390 (with wine pairing R2290). All rates are pp.

Best for: People who take good food very seriously.

4. Wolfgat, Paternoster, Western Cape

Food: Seafood, South African

Cost: Things are little more affordable, here: It’sR750 per person for seven-course lunch and dinner tasting menu.

Best for: An escape from the city in many ways: Wolfgat is 145km away from Cape Town, and its food is a return to traditional, old-fashioned cooking.

5. La Petite Colombe, Franschhoek, Western Cape

Food: Contemporary fare, Fine-dining food, Modern

Cost: Gourmand Tasting menu: Five courses R795 excluding wine, R1345 including wine. Or, nine courses R1195 excluding wine, R1999 including wine.

Best for: Date nights, when you want to prove you can still turn on the charm.

6. Greenhouse at Cellars Hohenort, Constantia, Cape Town

Food: African, Asian, Fine-dining food, French, Halaal Friendly, Modern, South African, Vegetarian.

Cost: R1350 for the tasting menu, R650 for the artisanal wine pairing and R975 if you want to try the “legendary” wine pairing.

Best for: When you want to dial the romance up to eleven

7. Restaurant Mosaic at The Orient, Elandsfontein, Pretoria

Food: Fine-dining food, French, Health food, Mediterranean, Modern, Vegetarian.

Cost: Two main choices – The Grande Degustation menu is set at R1250 (wine pairing R585) per person, whereas The Market Degustation stands at R850 (wine pairing R460) per person.

Best for: Foodies, wine enthusiasts and those who enjoy the finer tastes.

8. Camphors at Vergelegen, Somerset West

Food: Fine-dining food, Modern.

Cost: Your bank balance will thank you: The set menu is R495 per person.

Best for: A cause for celebration, whether its a birthday, anniversary or anything with good vibes.

9. Jardine Restaurant, Stellenbosch

Food: Fine-dining food, Modern.

Cost: A culinary and financial success: It’s R320 for two courses, R380 for three for courses and R580 for those who want to take on six courses.

Best for: Taking the weight of the world off your shoulders and decompressing.

10. Chefs Warehouse, Constantia, Cape Town

Food: Modern, Tapas.

Cost: Completing this list of the best restaurants in South Africa is Chef’s Warehouse: The average main meal works out to be R200. But you’ll need to taste between four-to-six items at least to fully indulge in the delights of this menu.

Best for: Taking in the views and feeling like a millionaire. You’ve got a great panorama of Constantia, Tokai and the Atlantic Ocean from your table near the window.