Western Cape restaurants among the best in the world!

Since my last post was a bit of a damning treatise, here is a great bit of news for visiting gastronomes.
The S. Pellegrino 2007 list of “Best Restaurants in the world” was released last week and in the category for Africa and the Middle East, the top 5 were all in the Western Cape !! Eat that Ahmadinejad.

1. Le Quartier Francais (Franschhoek)
2. Bosman’s (Paarl)
3. Jardine (Cape Town central city)
4. Aubergine (Gardens)
5. Reuben’s (Franschhoek)

In the world rankings Le Quartier Francais came 47th and was SA’s only establishment in the top 100.

I often have a beer at Jardine in Bree Street and had no idea of it’s high ranking, will have to try it for lunch sometime soon.

“Now in its sixth year, The S Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurants is recognised around the world as the most credible indicator of the best places to eat on Earth”- “The list is compiled by The Nespresso World’s 50 Best Academy, a group of prominent food writers, critics, publishers and commentators, who each represent a different global region and chair a carefully selected voting panel for that region.”

The top restaurant in the world for the second time in a row (and thrice in all) was El Bulli in spain, which is known for it’s wild and eccentric menu. The restaurant is closed for 6 months of the year, when the chef’s retreat to the experimental labs in Barcelona! Below are the top 10 in the world, or see here for the full list.

1. El Bulli Spain World’s Best Restaurant Best in Europe
2. The Fat Duck UK Chefs Choice
3. Pierre Gagnaire France
4. The French Laundry USA Best in the Americas
5. Tetsuya’s Australia Best in Australasia
6. Bras France
7. Mugaritz Spain
8. Le Louis XV Monaco
9. Per Se USA