Mosaic restaurantAMID JUBILATIONS AND CONGRATULATIONS as La Colombe was awarded Eat Out’s top restaurant for 2019, and several new establishments made their debut on the list, veteran of the awards Chantel Dartnall of Mosaic at the The Orient issued a statement opting out of future awards to make way for newcomers.

Mosaic, which placed 9th in this year’s Top 10, has made it to the Eat Out stage 10 times. Dartnall has taken home the Chef of the Year trophy twice, while Mosaic’s Sommelier, Moses Magwasa, was awarded the Wine Service Award for the second consecutive year.

“I am extremely proud of my team and our achievements to date and have been blessed with a cornucopia of local and international accolades and recognition throughout our culinary journey.

We will be stepping aside to vacate our position in the Top 10 line-up to allow for the new generation of chefs and restaurants to shine on the culinary stage,” says Dartnall.

She thanked the organisers and judges for their votes and recognition over the past decade. “When we conceptualized Restaurant Mosaic 15 years ago we had a clear vision of our goals and of what we wanted to achieve.

“My team and I will now continue to focus on what we do best at Restaurant Mosaic – creating magical dining experiences for our guests, supporting our local suppliers and growing the talent of our young chefs and my front of house team in the years to come.”

Mosaic was the only Gauteng-based restaurant that made the Top 20. Of those, 18 were from the Cape and one from KZN.

Dartnall also announced: “I am so excited to have again been invited to the La Liste World Restaurant Awards, which will be taking place in Paris in December. I still get goosebumps remembering my last visit to the Quai d’Orsay and cannot wait to return in a few weeks.”

The Top 20 Restaurants for 2019 are:

  1. La Colombe (Constantia, Cape Town)
  2. The Test Kitchen (Woodstock, Cape Town)
  3. The Restaurant at Waterkloof (Somerset West)
  4. Wolfgat (Paternoster)
  5. FYN Restaurant (City Bowl, Cape Town)
  6. La Petite Colombe (Franschhoek)
  7. Eike (Stellenbosch)
  8. Salsify (Camps Bay, Cape Town)
  9. Restaurant Mosaic at The Orient (Elandsfontein, Pretoria)
  10. Chefs Warehouse at Beau Constantia (Constantia, Cape Town)
  11.  Camphors at Vergelegen (Somerset West)
  12. Overture (Stellenbosch)
  13. LivingRoom at Summerhill Estate (Cowies Hill, Durban)
  14. Chefs Warehouse at Maison (Franschhoek)
  15. Greenhouse at The Cellars-Hohenort (Constantia, Cape Town)
  16. Le Coin Français (Franschhoek)
  17. La Tête (City Bowl, Cape Town)
  18. The Shortmarket Club (City Bowl, Cape Town)
  19. Tjing Tjing Momiji (City Bowl, Cape Town)
  20. Rust en Vrede (Stellenbosch)

 All the winners

 In addition to the announcement of the Top 10, stellar restaurants and individuals on the South African scene also received special awards. They are:

  • Chef of the Year:   Bertus Basson, Eike and Overture
  • New Restaurant of the Year:  Jewell’s Restaurant, Paarl
  • Rising Star: Katlego Mlambo, The Marabi Club
  • Chefs’ Chef: Ivor Jones, Chefs Warehouse Beau Constantia
  • Sustainability Award: Camphors at Vergelegen
  • Innovation Award: The Test Kitchen
  • Service Excellence:  The Test Kitchen
  • Wine Service Award:  Joseph Dhafana, La Colombe
  • Outstanding Service  Award:  Jennifer Hugé
  • Game Changer Award: SA POC at the Table
  • Food Media Icon: Dorah Sitole
  • Lifetime Achievement Award: Annette Kesler
  • Style Award:  FYN Restaurant