SA foraging eatery named Restaurant of the Year in worldwide awards Posted on 19 February 2019 Tags:foraging, hyperlocal, paternoster, restaurant awards, West Coast, Wolfgat The rockpools, stretches of sand and swaying veld must seem an unusual place for a top restaurant when compared to the supply chains of most. Yet, a small restaurant on South Africa’s west coast has been internationally praised for its almost fully-foraged menu. Better yet, it is also the Restaurant of the Year. ‘If mother nature erected a sign saying ‘build restaurant here’, it would surely point to Wolfgat,’ says the panel of judges who unanimously decided that Wolfgat would be the recipient of the Restaurant of the Year award and Off-Map Destination award at the inaugural World Restaurant Awards 2019. The restaurant was started a mere two years ago by Kobus van der Merwe, last year’s recipient of the Eat Out Chef of the Year award. In fact, he only started cooking full-time 10 years ago. What’s more, he dropped out of culinary school to travel the world but soon found himself back home helping his parents start the Paternoster legend Oep ve Koep. He received praise from the judge panel for his good taste, naturalism and ability to balance creativity with accessibility in the seven-course tasting menu. However, he lays the thanks at the feet of his six mostly female and local teammates, who have been with him from the start: ‘I don’t feel worthy. It’s a big title. My staff who go out every day gathering herbs, succulents and dune spinach, should be here… It’s their baby… I can’t wait to celebrate with them with a big glass of South African sparkling wine.’ https://www.instagram.com/p/Bqm8ZeDn4M8/ As the restaurant’s head chef, van der Merwe insists on a no-hierarchy kitchen. ‘If you pick something you prepare it yourself and maybe then take it to the table and explain it to the customers,’ he told AFP. Each day, the team head out to the rockpools, dunes and veld within 10km from the restaurant. The menu for the 20 guests they serve changes depending on what they find and the weather. Besides a sprinkling of some Cape Malay spices, the ingredients are tampered with as little as possible to allow guests to enjoy the ingredients as they are. View this post on Instagram Transitioning from winter to spring, the west coast landscape is transforming rapidly. This means daily menu tweaks and the onset of seasonal separation anxiety in the Wolfgat kitchen. Clinging to the last of winter's abundance, current snacks include a kind of surf 'n' turf: limpet in its shell, with waterblommetjie, sea lettuce, suring and lemon veloute. #Wolfgat #Paternoster #surfnturf A post shared by Wolfgat (@wolfgat) on Sep 15, 2018 at 2:41am PDT View this post on Instagram Dinner view. #Wolfgat #Paternoster A post shared by Wolfgat (@wolfgat) on Mar 3, 2018 at 9:35am PST View this post on Instagram Summer menu planning, with Leipoldt (ISBN 0624011070) and Strandveld food (ISBN 978920289782) top of the reference list. #Wolfgat #Paternoster A post shared by Wolfgat (@wolfgat) on Oct 2, 2018 at 2:54am PDT Why forage from the West Coast? Van der Merwe told Fin24 that he grew up with cookbooks using veldkos and foraging, and that his maternal grandmother would make him seaweed jelly and his paternal grandfather was an avid veldkos forager. Fancy trying the best Strandveld meal in the world? Wolfgat only seats those with a booking. Lunch is served from 12:30pm onwards from Wednesday to Saturday and from 12pm on a Sunday. Dinner is served only on Friday and Saturday evenings at 6:30pm. Image: Wolfgat’s philosophy is to keep things as local and natural as possible. Photo: Wolfgat/Facebook. Related Posts Review: The Hearty & Homely Winter Lunch at Bistro Sixteen82 1 June 2023 A winter menu should evoke visions of heart-warming and comforting dishes that nourish the body... read more The rise of gastronomy tourism: restaurants to try in Thailand 1 June 2023 Gastronomy tourism has emerged as a thriving trend in recent years, capturing taste buds... read more 10 Coffee Shops in Johannesburg to visit 25 May 2023 Finding the best coffee shops in Johannesburg can be tricky, so we've put together a... read more PREV ARTICLE NEXT ARTICLE
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