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When Luke Dale-Roberts took over as Executive Chef at La Colombe at the Constantia Uitsig estate in the Cape in November 2006, I couldn’t imagine that the quality that restaurant had had could be topped. I dined there shortly after Luke started and predicted a top culinary spot for him. Since then he’s added to this award winning restaurant by adding Asian influences to the contemporary classic French cuisine – and has not only won top prizes locally, but is also listed among The Restaurant magazine’s ‘The S. Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurants’.

Taste, texture and presentation are Luke’s guiding principles. Add to that stratospheric levels of service, and you’ve got the place.

Another of the Mother City’s success stories is the Cape Quarter, with its newest Extension. This is where the new Cru Café yet again shows its Johannesburg counterparts that good wine by the glass is possible and moreover, logical in a country that grows some of the best. I like practical owner Jacques Castelein’s attitude: offer contemporary cuisine and an interesting wine list. Also invite diners to choose a varietal and taste three wines from it, accompanied by a snack to complement the wine. Good stuff.