[Image: East Afternoon]

If you’d told me a couple of years ago that a tiny beachfront restaurant in Paternoster would become one of the most internationally recognisable and critically acclaimed spots in the world, I would have asked you to put down the bong.

And yet, it’s 2020, and Wolfgat, which burst onto the global scene when it won Restaurant of the Year at the World Restaurant Awards 2019, and has since gone from strength to strength.

It went on to rank in the top 10 on Eat Out Mercedes-Benz Restaurant Awards ‘Best Restaurant List’ and cracked a spot on  TIME’s annual list of the ‘World’s Greatest Places’.

Most recently, Wolfgat has once again been honoured, this time by Condé Nast on their list of the most Beautiful Restaurants in the World.

WOLFGAT, SOUTH AFRICA

The restaurant, which is roughly two hours outside of Cape Town, only has 20 seats, all of which are booked out months in advance.

Here, chef Kobus van der Merwe has gained a cult following for his foraged beach vegetation menu. But success didn’t arrive overnight.

He has been pioneering sustainable cooking on South Africa’s west coast for a decade – first at Oep ve Koep (the tiny bistro he still runs in his parents’ farm stall) and now at Wolfgat, pictured, named after a nearby cave which contains remnants of an early civilisation.

Today, he uses ingredients typical of the ancient diet of the nomadic Strandlopers, who combed the shores of this stark coast. Seasonal foods include bokkoms (dried fish), veldkool (flower buds) and pickled slangbessies berries. Wild oysters are whipped into a pâté with housemade fynbos-infused vermouth and foraged purslane.

If you’re after pudding, settle in for crispy kelp served with sweet pear ice cream.

Other notable restaurants featured on the list include:

BOTANIC, MALLORCA

This health conscious veggie-friendly restaurant in Spain is also very pretty.

The forces of nature seem irrepressible at Botànic, a restaurant in a restored 16th-century mansion turned hidden-away place to stay. Ivy creepers wheedle their way back through parlour walls, bird cages swing from the ceiling, everything chirps with vitality. The vision of spritely chef Andrés Benitez (ex Michelin-starred Bou) is an ode to Mallorca’s horticultural wonders.

Moving on to:

ALCHEMIST, COPENHAGEN

This one has cropped up on ‘best of’ lists quite often over the years due to its unique underwater feel.

In a former warehouse that’s entirely sealed from natural light, Alchemist takes dining to epic proportions: 50 immersive courses served in five rooms over six hours. One space replicates the sights and sounds of New York City; in another, guests watch the chefs working with hi-tech, lab-like equipment in front of jars of freeze-dried ingredients (pictured). There’s an air of rebellion at this Copenhagen joint. Young-gun chef Rasmus Munk’s experimental plates range from fun – solid G&Ts; white fermented-tomato snowballs – to shocking and confrontational.

Everything can be made for vegans, including the brain, which is replaced with Jerusalem-artichoke purée and coated in cherry sauce.

If you’d like to peruse the full list of restaurants, head here.

Then get on that booking at Wolfgat. If you act fast you might be able to secure a reservation sometime in December.

[source:condenast]