Abigail Donnelly and her team of two judges have been polishing their plates to shortlist South Africa’s 20 nominees in the 2009 Prudential Eat Out Restaurant Awards.

The list features the country’s established favourites as well as new restaurants on the block, with four new additions: Carne, The Greenhouse at The Cellars-Hohenort and The Roundhouse, all in Cape Town, as well as The Restaurant at Grande Provence in Franschhoek.

Says Eat Out editor and judging day convener, Abigail Donnelly, “We are very excited to be celebrating 10 years of the awards in 2009. The awards recognise top talent in the industry that do their very best, and we can see that the chefs and food that have emerged in the past few years are of consistent quality. The chefs and restaurateurs honour and respect the awards, and it allows them to define their own excellence.”


The 20 nominated restaurants in the 2009 Prudential Eat Out Restaurant Awards are:

1. 9th Avenue Bistro, Durban
2. Aubergine, Cape Town
3. Bizerca Bistro, Cape Town
4. Bread and Wine, Franschhoek
5. Carne SA, Cape Town
6. The Foodbarn, Cape Town
7. The Greenhouse at The Cellars-Hohenort, Cape Town
8. Hartford House, Mooi River, KZN
9. Jardine, Cape Town
10. La Colombe, Cape Town
11. Mosaic Restaurant, Pretoria
12. Overture, Stellenbosch
13. The Restaurant at Grande Provence, Franschhoek
14. Reuben’s Restaurant & Bar, Franschhoek
15. Roots, Johannesburg
16. The Roundhouse, Cape Town
17. Rust en Vrede, Stellenbosch
18. Tasting Room at Le Quartier Français, Franschhoek
19. Terroir, Stellenbosch
20. Zachary’s, Knysna


This years glamorous awards ceremony, regarded as the Oscars of the South African restaurant scene, will be held on 22 November at the Westin Grand Hotel in Cape Town, where Donnelly will reveal the Prudential Eat Out Restaurant of the Year, Chef of The Year and the Top 10 Restaurants.
 
The 2010 edition of Eat Out magazine will also be launched at the event and will feature the winning restaurants and chefs, as well as provide a guide to South Africa’s 1 000 best restaurants.

– For more information on Prudential Portfolio Managers, visit www.prudential.co.za