The 2024 Gourmet Guide has been released and these are all the local restaurants that have earned coveted “Plate” awards.
South Africa (02 November 2023) – The 2024 JHP Gourmet Guide™ launch took place at beyond Restaurant on the Buitenverwachting wine estate in Constantia, Cape Town on Monday 30 October, where 45 Plated restaurants and the Haute Performance awards for chefs and restaurants were announced.
- One plate is awarded for excellent cuisine,
- two for exceptional dining that demands a detour, and
- three plates for world-class destination dining worthy of a flight.
The digital guide, which won the ‘Best in the World’ in the digital category at the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards in 2023, showcases the best fine-dining establishments in South Africa. It rewards excellence and consistency in the industry and is highly respected for its authenticity and credibility. Established in 2016, it is the first restaurant rating system in South Africa that equates to global standards of international benchmarking.
Premium restaurants, having grown from last year’s 36 to 45 in total, received their Plate Ratings at the ceremony. Minister of Tourism, Patricia de Lille, thanked the restaurants and chefs for their contribution to gastronomic tourism in South Africa and presented the plates.
Jenny Handley, founder and curator of the guide, reminded the chefs that they are not in the food business, but in the people business. The challenge is to match global standards and to tap into their diverse kitchens to understand and promote all genres of SA cuisine. She encouraged them to support local, to be more sustainable, to practice genuine upliftment and more transformation.
“The most important meal served in a restaurant is the one with your team before service, when you come together as a family. You begin to understand one another’s history and heritage and culture, and only then can you showcase our diverse cuisine,” said Handley.
The event also saw a charity auction take place in honour of StreetSmart.
‘The euphoric evening ended on a high, with R42 000 being raised by auctioneer Joff van Reenen in an auction of the biggest gastronomic feast ever! Generous gift vouchers for dining experiences were donated by more than 25 of the restaurants, allowing the final bidder to dine their way around the best South African restaurants. All proceeds went to StreetSmart.’
The guide is on www.gourmetguide.co.za. It was designed by Wilna Combrinck as a visual feast with breathtaking food photography, art and quotes from the chefs.
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ONE PLATE
- Arkeste
- Aubergine
- Belly of the Beast
- Cavalli
- Chorus
- Clara’s Barn
- Delaire Graff Restaurant
- Eike
- ëlgr.
- Emazulwini Restaurant
- Embarc
- Faber
- Marble
- Post & Pepper
- Séjour
- Serendipity
- The Chefs’ Table
- The Jordan Restaurant
- The Shortmarket Club
- The Tasting Room at Creation
- The Test Kitchen Fledgelings
- Tokara
- Upper Union Restaurant
TWO PLATES
- beyond
- Chefs Warehouse Maison
- Chefs Warehouse Tintswalo
- Dusk
- Epice
- Fermier
- Gåte
- Le coin Français
- Les Créatifs
- Qunu
- Rust en Vrede
- The LivingRoom
- The Pot Luck Club CT
- The Pot Luck Club JHB
- The Waterside
- Wolfgat
THREE PLATES
- Chefs Warehouse Beau Constantia
- FYN
- Klein JAN
- La Colombe
- La Petite Colombe
- PIER Restaurant
- Salsify at the Roundhouse
HAUTE PERFORMANCE AWARDS
- Pioneer – The Happy Uncles
- Promise – Carla Schulze
- Property – Galjoen
- Pride of SA – Siba Mtongana
- Partnership – Ryan Cole
- Programme of Wine, in Association with the South African Sommeliers Association – La Colombe
- Purpose & Passion with Wesgro – The Test Kitchen Fledgelings
HAUTE PROVENANCE
- Basalt
- Bertus Basson
- beyond
- Emazulwini
- Klein JAN
- The LivingRoom
- Wolfgat
GREEN PHILOSOPHY PLATE WITH WWF-SASSI
- FYN
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