Three of the six international Thacks Awards panelists met in South Africa this month to undertake a final critique – and they were blown away. Again. The outcome was as expected: Rust en Vrede Restaurant wins the Thacks Awards Top International Eatery for 2021 amongst shortlisted contenders in Australia, the UAE, Spain, Malta and Austria, and mentioned establishments in many other countries.
We joked that chef Fabio should get the restaurant’s name changed to ‘Fabio’s at Rust en Vrede’ because two of the panelists first met him in 2017 when he had just taken over as Head Chef there, and although we’ve loved the daytime steak offering at the wine estate restaurant, the ‘Experience Menu’ offered and the evening fine dining is in a totally different excellent league.
It has been an annual pilgrimage to travel to South Africa to visit Fabio and his team since then – and they NEVER disappoint. The restaurant team’s combined skills and abilities are like an institution, and South Africa’s lack of international culinary awards has meant that this restaurant has been one of South Africa’s best kept secrets… until now.
Although South Africa does have an amazing number of quality chefs and offers fantastic culinary treats, the surprise element of Rust en Vrede’s ‘Experience Menu’ is the consistent high standard you’d expect from a multiple-award winning establishment. All the courses we had this week were subliminally understated but clearly, very cleverly, and passionately thought out, to the point where you cannot help being blown away and excited by every bite.
There are indeed other high calibre dining options available in this underrated food-quality country with less elaborate options, but this is still at least a ‘once in a lifetime/MUST DO’ experience for local and foreign visitors. Foreign visitors will be pleased at the quality and experience of this offering – being easily 60%+ cheaper than similar experiences anywhere in Europe.
If any international foodie came to South Africa, they would be blown away by the level of quality you can experience at Rust en Vrede. The key difference from other great contenders in Cape Town is that each visit here is a surprise and it’s not like some fine-dining restaurants where they re-offer their signature dishes time and time again. Fabio is constantly changing things up and on this recent visit, all the many courses had evolved. The wine pairings were exquisite as always – just when we thought we’d tasted the best wine of the evening; the next one was better.
From the dusk arrival at Rust en Vrede Restaurant – driving through the luscious green gardens at the gate, being met by the attentive hostess on getting out of the car (the estate is large so the security staff who welcome you probably forewarn the staff of your arrival), enjoying pre-dinner drinks and canapes on the candlelit terrace overlooking the picturesque mountains and vines – to the actual dinner: everything offers heavenly variety.
If you are South African, start planning your ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ meal here and if you’re living abroad start planning your international foodie trip to South Africa with Rust en Vrede Restaurant being on top of your bucket list – surely also adding some incredible world-class wine estates.
TOP TIP: Book the ‘Experience Menu’ – the scarcity and careful selection of wines on offer; and the quality of food will not be disappointing. Compared to the finest restaurants in other countries, this menu is pricey by South African standards but is amazing value for money for international palates who will easily be expected to pay double in similarly awarded restaurants anywhere else in the world. Although the restaurant is on a very scenic wine estate, there are many accommodation options nearby so that you won’t have to travel far after dinner.
SEE THE FULL LIST OF 2021 WINNERS HERE.
MEET THE INTERNATIONAL PANELISTS HERE.
READ ALL THE BLOG POSTS HERE.
Thacks Awards 