South Africa’s best restaurants have been named in the annual Eat Out Mercedes-Benz  Restaurant Awards for 2016 – this is how much is costs to enjoy a meal from one of the winners.

The Test Kitchen which opened in Woodstock in Cape Town in November 2010, once again took top honours for an unprecedented fifth year running. It is fitting, then, that TTK also offers the most expensive meal in the country, with its priciest test menu going at R2,650 per person, when including a wine pairing.

When it comes to fine dining, most restaurants offer set menus, which have been set up and developed by the chefs in charge to deliver a very specific culinary journey. It’s for this reason that most fine dining restaurants offer their menus on a per-person set price basis, with an option to pair wines.

In some cases, as with The Restaurant at Waterkloof, a la carte menus are available, but even then, the prices are often set by the number of courses, rather than per meal.

This is what you can expect to pay at the top 10 restaurants in South Africa:

 

1. The Test Kitchen – R1,200 to R2,650

A meal at The Test Kitchen is going to set you back a pretty penny – with the cheapest option being the vegetarian meal set at R1,200, going all the way up to the set menu with an “iconic” wine pairing at R2,650 per person.

The experience include two main menus (light room and dark room), with a pescetarian and vegetarian option. You can expect things like Vanilla Peach and rose scented foie gras, Pan seared duck breast, and Chamomile ice cream – all presented in elegant style.

2. La Colombe – R540 to R1,880

La Colombe offers a full gourmand dinner menu at R1,090, going up to R1,880 for the menu with a wine pairing. The cheapest option is a reduced vegetarian lunch, which costs R540 (R1,120 with wine pairing) – but note that all reservations carry a deposit of R300 per person, to prevent “no shows”.

A typical dinner menu includes such items such as tuna, oysters, salmon and lamb.

3. The Restaurant at Waterkloof – R420 to R1,350

The Restaurant at Waterkloof carries two menu types – a 6-course degustation menu (if ordered by the whole table) ranging between R1,100 to R1,350 (with wine pairing), or an option for a 2-course and 3-course a la carte menu for R420 and R530, respectively.

Meal types include duck breast, Springbok loin, rabbit and marron – with an option to pay R50 more for a selection of cheeses.

4. The Tasting Room at Le Quartier Francais – R875 to R1,495

The Tasting Room specialises in a tasting menu, which take you through eight courses for R875 (R1,390 with wine). The restaurant also offers an 8-course “African-Inspired Surprise menu” for R945 per person (R1,495 paired with wine).

5. Restaurant Mosaic at the Orient – R850 to R1,935

Restaurant Mosaic has a set menu of two varieties – a grand degustation and a market degustation – both of which come with an option for a wine pairing. The former is the full experience at R1,250 per person (with wine pairing taking it up to R1,935) – while the latter starts at R850, going up to R1,400 with a wine pairing.

BusinessTech previously had the fortune to experience a meal at Mosaic- you can see the type of dining one can expect by reading our coverage here.

6. Overture – R425 to R645

Overture offers two menu types, a 3-course meal option (1 Starter, 1 Main course, 1 Dessert) at R425 and a 6-course tasting menu available at R645.

7. Greenhouse – R1,050 to R1,450

Greenhouse’s African Origins menu is available at R1,050 or R1,450 with paired wines. The menu carries items such as tuna, rabbit, trout and glazed duck.

8. The Kitchen at Maison – R150 to R950

The Kitchen at Maison offers a range of meal options, from a 1 course, non-paired meal at R150, to a 5 course meal paired with wine at R950 per person.

The menu includes meals such as duck breast, octopus, perlemoen, suckling pig and lamb.

9. Foliage – ±R395 for three courses

Foliage’s menu changes with the seasons, playing on the restaurant’s “foraging” concept. It offers a menu with a wide variety of options, with the average main meal going for R220, while starters average around R90 and desserts around R85.

Contrasting many of the restaurants listed here, Foliage offers fine dining with a more casual, family-friendly ambiance.

10. Camphors at Vergelegen – R395 to R900

Camphors provides a host of options on its “Spring Harvest” menu, while also offering a “Tour” menu which includes a food journey of various flavours. The 3 course option costs R395 while the 4 course option costs R450 (both options excluding wine and beverages).

The “Tour” menu costs R650 excluding wine, jumping to R900 with selected wine pairings.