Wolfgat

Housed in a restaurant building that is over 130 years old, Wolfgat could not be more secluded. It has over a very short space of time earned a name for being probably the most creative restaurant in South Africa and rightly so.
The restaurant itself is tiny, with just a few tables, and my immediate thought was how on earth could a restaurant on this scale survive? In the local culinary scene it is all about turnover, double-seating at night so that more and more patrons are allowed a chance to sample the 'hottest ticket in town'. I shy away from restaurants that insist on having two seatings per night. Normally the first is at 18h30 and the second at 20h30. I hate the idea of being rushed and even if the new 'sample plate' method has found its place in almost every young and hip new eatery, I force myself to book elsewhere. I hate being rushed and nothing makes my stomach turn more than an antsy waiter delivering the bill when the dessert is is still on the table.

But at Wolfgat it is a different story. Here, there is such acute attention to detail, starting with the simple and yet very effective menus that are folded origami style. The food is all locally sourced (bang on trend with other restaurants) but here, there is almost an artistic approach to the dishes, each more and more delicate than the last. The kitchen is open plan and you literally see each and every plate being assembled under the careful eye of Kobus van der Merwe.
​10 Sampson Street is the address and you should definitely do yourself a favour and put this on your bucket list. 

All photographs appear courtesy of Jürgen Küssow