The American Express Dining Awards programme, which was relaunched earlier this year, has been the premier showcase of South Africa’s culinary scene for 21 years, and now features an expanded range of categories, similar to those of the World Restaurant Awards.
The second half of the American Express Dining Awards 2020 was recently held in Cape Town. And Cape Town’s The Test Kitchen received the American Express Restaurant of the Year Award.
Located in the Old Biscuit Mill in the trendy suburb of Woodstock, The Test Kitchen is the epitome of contemporary fine dining.
Established in 2010 by celebrated chef, Luke Dale-Roberts, this establishment has garnered many prestigious awards.
Earlier this year, it was ranked number 44 in the World’s 50 Best Restaurants Awards and was recognised as the top restaurant in Africa.
Three of Luke Dale-Roberts’s other eateries – Salsify, The Pot Luck Club and The Shortmarket Club – also made the cut.
The top restaurants in the southern and western Cape region were named as:
- Babel at Babylonstoren, Paarl
- Camphors at Vergelegen, Vergelegen Wine Estate
- Cavalli Estate Restaurant, Somerset West, Cape Town
- Eike by Bertus Basson, Stellenbosch
- Foliage, Franschhoek
- Fyn, Cape Town CBD
- The Greenhouse, Constantia, Cape Town
- Hacklewood, Hacklewood Hill Country House, Port Elizabeth
- Jardine Restaurant, Stellenbosch
- Jordan Restaurant, Jordan Wine Estate, Stellenbosch
- La Colombe, Constantia, Cape Town
- La Tête, Cape Town CBD
- Le Coin Français, Franschhoek
- La Petite Colombe, Le Quartier Français Hotel, Franschhoek
- Overture, Helderberg
- Protégé, Franschhoek
- Rust en Vrede, Rust en Vrede Wine Estate, Stellenbosch
- Salsify, Camps Bay, Cape Town
- The Pot Luck Club, Woodstock, Cape Town
- The Restaurant at Waterkloof, Waterkloof Wine Estate
- The Shortmarket Club, Cape Town CBD
- The Test Kitchen, Woodstock, Cape Town
- The Werf Restaurant at Boschendal, Boschedal Wine Estate
- Zinzi, Plettenberg Bay
Restaurants in the western region also scooped five of the 10 category awards:
- The American Express Style Award – Fyn
- American Express Young Talent Award – Chef Ryan Cole
- Best Newcomer Award – Eike by Bertus Basson
- American Express Service Award 2020 – The Test Kitchen
- American Express Restaurant of The Year 2020 – The Test Kitchen
The 12 top restaurant winners in the northern, central and eastern region are:
- Abingdon Wine Estate, Lions River, KwaZulu-Natal
- Culinary Table Restaurant, Lanseria, Johannesburg, Gauteng
- Epicure, Sandton, Johannesburg, Gauteng
- Grei at the Saxon, Sandhurst, Johannesburg, Gauteng
- Marble, Rosebank, Johannesburg, Gauteng
- NCW, Melville, Johannesburg, Gauteng
- Qunu at the Saxon, Sandhurst, Johannesburg, Gauteng
- Restaurant Mosaic at the Orient, Elandsfontein, Pretoria, Gauteng
- Saint, Sandton, Johannesburg, Gauteng
- Silver Orange, Hartbeespoort, Johannesburg, Gauteng
- The Chef’s Table, Umhlanga, KwaZulu-Natal
- De Oude Kraal, Bloemfontein, Free State
Restaurants in the region also scooped five of the 10 category awards:
- American Express Member’s Choice: Saint
- Wine: Restaurant Mosaic at the Orient
- Best-kept Secret: Abingdon Wine Estate
- Pure SA: Marble
- Pioneer Chef: David Higgs at Marble
Above image and copy courtesy of BizCommunity
Caption: Restaurant of The Year: The Test Kitchen – Steve Hackner & Luke Dale Roberts