The 2010 edition of Rossouw’s Restaurants, an independent restaurant guide that judges restaurants informally from 1 - 3 stars, has just been launched. It includes a few surprises in its inclusions, and more importantly exclusions, in its 3-star top restaurant list, coming just 13 days before the announcement of the 2010 Eat Out Top 10 Restaurant Awards.
The biggest shock is the exclusion of Le Quartier Francais’ Tasting Room in the 3-star restaurant category, but is designated as “bubbling under” by the author JP Rossouw. Other “bubbling under” restaurants include Terroir, a long-standing Eat Out Top 10 restaurant, new restaurant The Roundhouse (on the Eat Out Top 10 shortlist), Belthazar in the V&A Waterfront, The Greenhouse at the Cellars Hohenhort (on the top 20 shortlist for the Eat Out Top 10), and Mosaic (on the Eat Out Top 10 shortlist).
In total 14 restaurants have been awarded 3-stars by Rossouw, of which 8 are in the Cape Town and Winelands areas: Aubergine, Bizerca, Jardine, Joostenberg Bistro (a surprise!), La Colombe, Overture, Reuben’s, and Rust en Vrede. (All of these restaurants, with the exception of the Joostenberg Bistro, are on the Eat Out Top 10 shortlist). The remaining 3-star winners are Ile de Pain and Zachary’s in Knysna (the latter is Eat Out Top 10 shortlisted), Mariana’s in Stanford, Ritrovo in Pretoria and The Butcher Shop & Grill and Thomas Maxwell Bistro in Johannesburg.
Rossouw defines a 3-star restaurant as one that “shines in its price point and offers a truly special food experience…. it’s the all-round feeling of pleasure that’s created by a lovely space, warm hospitality, good service, and crackerjack food. Track record is also important : three star restaurants should consistently deliver on their promise”.
Rossouw has dropped the controversial 2009 3-star Magica Roma from the 3-star list in his latest guide, for which he received much criticism. Comments left on Rossouw’s website are critical of his treatment of Le Quartier Francais, given that it is a Top 50 restaurant in the world, but Rossouw was prepared for the question: “The Tasting Room’s move from three stars in 2009 to two stars in 2010 was not a decision easily made, but it was certainly not influenced by what other reviews/guides/Top 50’s say”. Rossouw adds that he is guided by customer reviews he receives, but the final score is his. See full details here.
Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portoflio http://www.whalecottage.com
Tags: Aubergine, Belthazar, Bizerca, Cape Town, cellars Hohenhort, Eat Out Top 10 Restaurant Awards, Ile de Pain, Jardine, Joostenberg Bistro, JP Rossouw, La Colombe, Le Quartier Francais, Magica Roma, Mariana's, Mosaic, Overture, Reubens, Ritrovo, Rosouw's Restaurants 2010, Rust en Vrede, Tasting Room, terroir, The Butcher Shop & Grill, The Greenhouse, The Roundhouse, Thomas Maxwell Bistro, Top 50 restaurant, V&A Waterfront, Winelands, Zachary's
At the ‘Tribute to Topsi’ held on 18 May at the Barnyard Theatre in the Willowbridge Centre 500 foodie and Topsi lovers gathered together to “honour a doyenne and living legend of South African food and a wonderful human being”, and to collect funds for a knee replacement operation for her.
A jointly organised event by John Jackson of African Banquet Collections and the Chaine des Rotisseurs, in conjunction with the Franschhoek Lion’s Club, the evening had a strong Franschhoek presence, with many local residents attending the fabulous evening. The food was prepared and donated by leading restaurants including Le Quartier Francais, Bruce Robertson’s new The Quarter, Cellars Hohenhort, La Colombe and many more. Delectable wines were donated. Neil Els of Boschendal was the master of ceremonies and auctioneer.
A line-up of excellent performers, including Rocco de Villiers, Coenie de Villiers, Daniele Pascale, Elzabe Zietsman, boy group BRAVO and Nataniel entertained the appreciative crowd utilizing a very “gay-pink Liberace piano”, and dedicated their talent to Topsi. Nataniel brought the house down with his stories about his 30-year friendship with Topsi, and when he presented her with a rosary (“instead of rosemary”)!
Topsi was praised by speakers for her generosity, having given her dog away to an American tourist who asked her for the dog, and she gave away a diamond brooch because a friend complimented her on it. Topsi answered that she was as close to heaven on earth as she could be, with all the tributes spoken and sung to her whiles she is still alive, and wished her Franschhoek friend Di Gage, who died recently, could have enjoyed such a feast of appreciation too. Topsi was described as the “Madiba of cooking in South Africa”.
The who’s who of chefs attended the wonderful evening, and included Bruce Robertson, Pete Goffe-Wood, Bertus Basson, Camil Haas, Peter Veldsman, Marlene van der Westhuizen, Jenny Morris, Reuben Riffel, and Garth Stroebel.
This article was written by Chris von Ulmenstein, and was first published in the June 2009 issue of The Franschhoek Month.
Tags: Arican Banquet Collections, Barnyard Theatre, Bertus Basson, Boschendal, BRAVO, Bruce Robertson, Camil Haas, cellars Hohenhort, Chaine de Rotisseurs, Chris von Ulmenstein, Coenie de Villiers, Daniel Pascale, Elsabe Zietsman, Franschhoek Lion's Club, Garth Stroebel, Jenny Morris, John Jackson, La Colombe, Le Quartier Francais, Madiba, Marlene van der Westhuizen, Nataniel, Neil Els, Pete Goffe-Wood, Peter Veldsman, Reuben Riffel, Roco de Villiers, The Franschhoek Month, The Quarter, Topsi Venter, Willowbridge
The 2010 edition of Rossouw’s Restaurants, an independent restaurant guide that judges restaurants informally from 1 - 3 stars, has just been launched. It includes a few surprises in its inclusions, and more importantly exclusions, in its 3-star top restaurant list, coming just 13 days before the announcement of the 2010 Eat Out Top 10 Restaurant Awards.
