Why South Africa’s best restaurant is no longer one of the top 25 in the world
The World’s 50 Best Restaurants has announced its 2017 list of best restaurants ranked ahead of its annual awards event on 5 April.
Two South African restaurants made the top 100 – Woodstock’s The Test Kitchen at number 63 on the list and Constantia’s La Colombe at 73.
These are also the two restaurants that took the top two places in the recent 2016 Eat Out Mercedes-Benz Restaurant Awards.
While the accomplishments of the two restaurants are worth praising, the Test Kitchen saw one of the biggest drops on the list – dropping from 22 in 2016.
Speaking to Eat Out, the World’s 50 Best Restaurants academy chair for Africa and Indian Ocean Islands, Tamsin Snyman explained the drop:
“I am of the opinion that The Test Kitchen did not obtain a listing within the top 50 benchmark mainly due to the fact that the restaurant was closed for almost two months last year for major interior design and menu changes.”
“The policy of only taking bookings one month in advance also would have made it difficult for judges to get a booking,” she said. The restaurant has since changed its policy to offer a three-month lead period.
She also noted that the restaurant currently only sees 40 guests being served a bespoke tasting menu, and are available for dinner only – meaning that a very few diners in total have access to the food.
The Test Kitchen’s substantial drops also means that it is highly unlikely a South African restaurant will feature in the Top 5o this year, said Eat Out.
Read: These are the 10 best restaurants in South Africa for 2016
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