The biggest news of the night was the announcement that chef David Higgs of Five Hundred in Joburg was named the 2013 Eat Out S. Pellegrino Chef of the Year. His new restaurant, Five Hundred, landed an impressive second position on the highly contested Top 10 list. For the second year in a row, South Africa's Restaurant of the Year is The Test Kitchen in Cape Town.
This year also featured the introduction of two new accolades as part of the restaurant awards. The Rising Star Award, won by Vanessa Marx of Dear Me in Cape Town, recognises promising talent in the industry; and the Wine Service Award, won by Joakim Hansi Blackadder of Rust en Vrede in Stellenbosch, acknowledges the top sommelier in the country.
David Higgs, Five Hundred
The Test Kitchen
2. Five Hundred
3. Rust en Vrede
4. The Greenhouse
5. Hartford House
6. Jordan Restaurant
7. Overture
8. Camphors at Vergelegen
9. The Tasting Room
10. Pierneef à La Motte
Rust en Vrede
Vanessa Marx, Dear Me
Joakim Hansi Blackadder, Rust en Vrede
Michael Olivier
Kitima
Burrata
Carne SA
Towerbosch
The Leopard
The Pot Luck Club
Amanda Manyatshe
Also revealed at the ceremony were the four anonymous South Africa-based judges, who worked alongside Eat Out editor and chief judge Abigail Donnelly to determine the winners: Garth Stroebel, Liam Tomlin and Andy Fenner (for the Top 10) and Jenny Morris (for the "Best of" winners).
To find out more, go to www.eatout.co.za
For a full list of the winners, go to http://eatout.co.za/News/Category/General/2865/The-winners-of-the-2013-Eat-Out-DStv-Food-Network-Restaurant-Awards and the Facebook page www.facebook.com/EatOutMag for photographs of the gala dinner. Follow on @Eat_Out on Twitter and search #eatoutawards #dstvfood for commentary from the night.
Photos by New Media