Sandton restaurant wins prestigious title
THE 2013 Eat Out S Pellegrino Chef of the Year title went to David Higgs of Five Hundred at the Saxon Hotel in Sandton.
Waves of excitement washed over the restaurant and foodie community as the champions of the 2013 Eat Out DStv Food Network Restaurant Awards were announced on 10 November, at a gala ceremony held in Cape Town. The awards celebrated South Africa’s talent and culinary distinction, culminating in 2013’s Top 10 Restaurants and the S Pellegrino Chef of the Year.
The last time Higgs received an Eat Out award was in 2010. Heading up the kitchen at Stellenbosch’s Rust en Vrede at the time, he walked away with the Chef of the Year, Restaurant of the Year and the Service Excellence awards. This year, Higgs’ new restaurant, Five Hundred, landed in 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 saw 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.
