The Eat Out DStv Food Network Restaurant Awards took place in the grand ballroom at the Westin in Cape Town last night. Apart from the prestigious Restaurant of the Year award, several other accolades were also dished out, including Chef of the Year, Best Steakhouse, and the Service Excellence Award.

Cape Town’s The Test Kitchen walked away with this year’s top spot, in what Eat Out editor Abigail Donnelly describes as a dazzling year of fun dining.

I have seen local chefs prepare astonishing, world-class food, and the top restaurants in South Africa have shown tremendous talent, continuing to push the boundaries in terms of creativity, confidence and full-on flavour.

Donnelly was joined on the judging panel by London-based food columnist for the Wall Street Journal Europe, Bruce Palling. The rest of the Top 10 can be seen below:

1. The Test Kitchen
2. The Tasting Room
3. Jordan Restaurant
4. Overture
5. Rust en Vrede
6. DW Eleven-13
7. La Colombe
8. The Greenhouse
9. Terroir
10. Hartford House

The winners in the other categories were:

Restaurant of the Year: The Test Kitchen

Chef of the Year: Margot Janse of The Tasting Room

Service Excellence Award: Rust en Vrede

The Lannice Snyman Lifetime Achievement Award (Paarl Media): Alicia Wilkinson of Silwood School of Cookery

Best Bistro: 9th Avenue Bistro

Best Steakhouse: Carne SA

Best Country-style Restaurant: Fresh at Paul Cluver Wine Estate

Best Asian Restaurant: Saigon (Gardens)

Best Italian restaurant: Café del Sol

Boschendal Style Award in association with Visi: Green House at Babylonstoren

[Source: Eat Out]