The Tasting Room at Le Quartier Français in Franschhoek came out tops in this year’s 2007 EAT OUT Restaurant Awards, heralded as the ‘Oscars’ of South Africa’s restaurant industry.
Competing with 19 other nominees, featuring the finest restaurants in South Africa, The Tasting Room at Le Quartier Français scooped the most prestigious accolade on the gastronomic calendar the EAT OUT Restaurant of the Year 2007 and also received the EAT OUT 2007 Service Award.
The 2007 EAT OUT Top 10 Restaurants were announced by convener and editor of EAT OUT magazine, Abigail Donnelly. This year the judges were Arnold Tanzer (Director of the SA Chefs Association); Food Alchemist Peter Goffe-Wood; Letitia Prinsloo (Principal of the Institute of Culinary Arts); and restaurateur Dario De Angeli who joined the judging team for the first time. Each of the judges individually, and unannounced, visited every one of the 20 restaurants that they, together with convener Abigail Donnelly and the thirty EAT OUT restaurant reviewers around South Africa, had nominated.
The 2007 EAT OUT Top 10 Restaurants:
1. The Tasting Room at Le Quartier Français (Franschhoek)
Chef: Margot Janse
2. Jardine (Cape Town)
Chef: George Jardine
3. Aubergine (Cape Town)
Chef patron: Harald Bresselschmidt
4. Bread & Wine (Franschhoek)
Chef: Neil Jewell
5. Restaurant at Grande Provence (Franschhoek)
Chef: Peter Tempelhoff
6. Ginja (Cape Town)
Chef: Mike Bassett.
7. Roots at the Forum Homini Boutique Hotel (Johannesburg)
Chef patron: Philippe Wagenfuhrer
8. The Showroom (Cape Town)
Chef: Bruce Robertson.
9. Linger Longer (Johannesburg)
Chef: Walter Ulz.
10. 9th Avenue Bistro (Durban)
Chef: Carly Goncalves.
