Two Cape Town bars — Cause Effect Cocktail Kitchen and Art of Duplicity — were listed at 75th and 86th respectively in the World's 50 Best Bars list released last week. They may not be in the top 50 but to be listed in the top 100 in the world — as voted for by 600 bar industry experts from across the globe — is praise indeed.
Located at the V&A Waterfront, the Cause Effect Cocktail Kitchen is well known for its awesome cocktails, said to be inspired by the city’s oceans, mountains, fynbos and vineyards. Art of Duplicity's charm, on the other hand, lies in its elusiveness — which makes it one of Cape Town’s best kept secrets. Here an online reservation is the only way you’ll sniff out the address. And prepare yourself for the mystery — a quizzy doorman, an unmarked door and a dimly lit passageway are all part of the intrigue on the journey to its famous cocktails.
Jan Hendrik van der Westhuizen, SA's first Michelin-star chef, has meanwhile scooped another international award, this time for his latest venture, Klein JAN, located in one of SA’s most beautiful game reserves, Tswalu Kalahari. It can take months to secure a table at this spectacular eatery, yet it has caught the attention of the La Liste 2022 Awards in Paris, which recently awarded it the prestigious “World Hidden Gem” title. A huge accolade indeed considering the restaurant was only launched this year. Van der Westhuizen said in an Instagram post that he was “so proud” to have won the title. Congratulating his team, he said, rather humbly: “Few people realise the sacrifice and work it takes to run a world-class establishment in the middle of nowhere in the Kalahari but we’ve done well so far.”
Chef Liam Tomlin’s Chefs Warehouse Tintswalo Atlantic was recently voted “Africa's Best New Restaurant” in the 2021 World Culinary Awards. Apart from the award-winning food, Tomlin’s restaurant offers diners the unique opportunity of dining at a breathtaking location on the shoreline at the iconic Tintswalo Atlantic boutique hotel.
Tomlin, who championed the hospitality industry campaign #JobsSavesLives during the hard lockdown, is ecstatic. Congratulating his team, he said: “For the amazing job during such a tough and demanding year, you can all be so proud.” The blood, sweat and many tears have paid off, he said in his Instagram post on the prestigious win. The award, established in 2020, celebrates and rewards excellence in the culinary industry and is a sister event of the World Travel Awards inaugurated in 1994.
What’s an award-winning meal without an excellent wine? Actually two wines, as the Tokara wine estate, situated on the slopes of the Simonsberg in Stellenbosch, has recently scooped two awards at the 2021 Global Fine Wine Challenge. Of the award-winning duo, the Tokara Director’s Reserve Red 2018 clinched top honours for “Best New World Bordeaux Blend”, while the Reserve Collection Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 won a double gold award.
“Cabernet sauvignon is an important Tokara focus variety and these remarkable achievements show us yet again that we are on the right track,” said Tokara GM Karl Lambour.
