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I live in Gauteng and as a food writer - and frequent diner-out - I often have to defend Johannesburg  in terms of the quality of restaurants. Here's a dinner party topic: why are Cape restaurants better than those in Jo'burg? The other day I had lunch at le Souffle in Pineslopes with Tim Truluck of the Slowfood Society. Whenever I want a dependable meal I go for Marc and Irene Guebert's souffles at this small bistro in an otherwise underwhelming area and am always delighted: their souffles, both savoury and sweet, are always delicious. And of course there are more dishes, often seasonal.



But back to my lunch with Tim: THAT topic came up again. He had an interesting take: perhaps South Africans in general are undemanding. The Cape has more restaurants of quality because it is there that the tourists go and those are the people who demand quality.