{"id":812998,"date":"2025-02-19T20:20:54","date_gmt":"2025-02-19T18:20:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/?p=812998"},"modified":"2025-02-19T20:25:57","modified_gmt":"2025-02-19T18:25:57","slug":"the-man-behind-the-best-restaurant-in-the-world-in-a-small-south-african-town","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/lifestyle\/812998\/the-man-behind-the-best-restaurant-in-the-world-in-a-small-south-african-town\/","title":{"rendered":"The man behind the ‘Best Restaurant in the World’ in a small South African town"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Kobus van der Merwe is the man behind Wolfgat, a restaurant in the small South African coastal town of Paternoster that was named Best Restaurant in the World in 2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to winning the coveted Restaurant of the Year award, it was also named the best \u201cOff Map Destination\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 20-seater restaurant in the small fishing village on the West Coast is housed in a refurbished fisherman’s cottage that overlooks the Paternoster coastline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The rustic restaurant, which offers a seven-course tasting menu at R1,250 per person, beat top New York, Paris, Tokyo, and London establishments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe place is super simple, rustic, yet perfectly elegant. We sat by the fireplace. The restaurant is directly on the beach with an ocean view,\u201d the judges said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe could watch the fishermen go out, come back and empty the catch from their brightly coloured boats.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wolfgat also scored points for its unique \u2018Strandveld\u2019 menu, its focus on providing jobs for locals, and its focus on sustainability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sustainable seafood, local lamb and venison, and seasonal veldkos is featured, enhanced by wild herbs, seaweeds from the local rock pools, and pickings from the garden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some of the elements on the tasting menu take weeks of preparation, while other ingredients are handpicked on the day for the exact number of bookings received.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Van der Merwe, celebrated for his innovative techniques, is known for his hyperlocal approach to cuisine at Wolfgat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The kitchen’s philosophy is to allow these ingredients to shine in their natural glory, offering guests a taste of the region’s distinct Strandveld Fynbos plant kingdom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wolfgat’s menu reflects the West Coast landscape and its dramatic seasonal changes, showcasing indigenous succulents, herbs, and other unique ingredients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The dishes are tailored according to the weather and the season, making each visit a unique experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wolfgat and Kobus van der Merwe received numerous accolades, including recognition from the Western Cape government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cChef Kobus van der Merwe is doing amazing work, using sustainable, seasonal and foraged ingredients in the small seaside village of Patternoster,\u201d it said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe are immensely proud of Wolfgat and the team for putting the quaint West Coast town of Paternoster on the map.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wolfgat also won Three Stars at the prestigious 2022 Eat Out Woolworths Restaurant Awards, which recognise excellence in the South African restaurant industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wolfgat chef Kobus van der Merwe<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Wolfgat chef Kobus van der Merwe was raised on South Africa\u2019s West Coast, inspiring him to start a restaurant in the area in 2016.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He worked on the idea for two years before it became a reality. His mother, Sanita van der Merwe, said her son was ecstatic when he finally got a place for his restaurant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I showed him the new location for his restaurant, he turned to me and said, \u2018Thank you so much\u2019,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that he would one day become the best in the world, which happened at the 2019 World Restaurant Awards in Paris.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Van der Merwe explained that the refurbished fisherman’s cottage where the restaurant is based is located on a historic cave called Wolfgat. This is where the name of the restaurant originated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said the cave is significant in the region because it contains evidence of human occupations in the past.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is quite serendipitous for us to learn more about the history and to honour it by naming the restaurant after the cave,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Van der Merwe is focused on sustainability and works closely with the local community to respect the region\u2019s gastronomic heritage and traditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Showcasing local and indigenous ingredients, which are often forgotten about, is something he is particularly proud of.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBeing representative of a special part of the fynbos kingdom, which is our indigenous flora, inspires us,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the wines they offer are organically produced with minimal environmental impact, which aligns with Wolfgat\u2019s philosophy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe are able to showcase very special wines from small independent producers that go well with our style of food,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said his inspiration remains to share the unique environment and its local cuisine with Wolfgat guests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Inside Wolfgat<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Wolfgat’s food<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Wolfgat, in the small South African coastal town of Paternoster, was named the Best Restaurant in the World. Here is the man behind it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":813000,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9876],"tags":[21792,21793,21791],"class_list":["post-812998","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lifestyle","tag-best-restaurant-in-the-world","tag-kobus-van-der-merwe","tag-wolfgat"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/812998","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=812998"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/812998\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":813171,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/812998\/revisions\/813171"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/813000"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=812998"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=812998"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=812998"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}