The Test Kitchen's blinissoise, with chilled blini creme, barbecued langoustine "en gele," and a langoustine tataki with liquorice powder. Credit: Copyright 2016 Justin PatrickToday, Cape Town is a known pit stop on the gastronomic world map. The Test Kitchen, La Colombe and The Tasting Room have ranked in the World's 50 Best Restaurants, in various categories. Cape Town's status as a world-class design city has also helped -- it was World Design Capital in 2014 -- with local talent behind great-looking dining spaces.Fueling the scene is a flush of small growers and producers, offering chefs great produce, ethically raised meats, wild game, seafood and indigenous ingredients like sour figs, baobab, buchu and honeybush tea, along with a flurry of artisanal products."Overall, our fine dining feel is quite natural and organic when compared to other countries, with less rigid styling and a trend towards local ingredients and preparations, giving it a sense of place," says Scot Kirton, head chef at La Colombe.
La Colombe, ranked in the World's 50 Best Restaurants, uses local ingredients. Photo courtesy of La Colombe.While the feeling is relaxed, with lunchtime guests sometimes even wearing shorts, few of these high-end restaurants are taking walk-ins. The Test Kitchen, ranked 28th in the World's 50 Best Restaurants in 2015, is currently taking dinner reservations six months in advance, although in August it will switch over to an online 30-day-in-advance booking system.
The Tasting Room's Joostenberg vlakte duck, with boerenkinders puree. Courtesy of The Tasting RoomIn the idyllic Winelands village of Franschhoek, Dutch-born Margot Janse has been the chef at The Tasting Room at boutique hotel Le Quartier Francais for 20 years, and has set the local bar for ultra-creative tasting menus. Her food "celebrates South and Southern Africa through their ingredients and stories."
says. One dish of many in a new dynamic dining region.