The deck of the LIFE Grand Café in Pretoria. Photo courtesy of the restaurant.

The restaurant

Meet our latest nominee for the 2014 Boschendal Style Award, awarded to the most stylish restaurant in the country – the recently opened LIFE Grand Café in Pretoria. Situated on the ‘Embassy Mile’ alongside the lush Waterkloof country club, this franchise by the award-winning interior designer and architect Maira Koutsoudakis, in partnership with her husband and director John, celebrates a holistic, inspiring and eco-sensitive lifestyle – without compromising on glamour. Besides feeling good, the management also promotes doing good – 5% of all profits go to environmental and social upliftment projects.

The food

The focus here is on all-day artisanal dining, which includes healthy breakfasts, latté art, a sushi bar, raw food bar, tapas bar, salad bar, patisserie counter and home-style comfort food, with menus designed by the group’s executive chef Jonathan Roos. The signature theatre-style bar acts as a centerpiece and serves innovative cocktails made with fresh, raw juices.

The style

The understated, signature palette of the franchise – aged wood and leather, accompanied by beige marble – is embellished with subtle explorer-style detailing, like brass globes and over-sized light bulb fittings. Taking its cue from the multi-cultural mix of the area, and with the aim of creating an eclectic space with global influences, the restaurant features European café-style seating, and also arches made of hand-made clinker bricks from Cape Town.

Does LIFE Grand Café in Pretoria have what it takes to win the 2014 Boschendal Style Award? The winner will be announced at the Eat Out Mercedes-Benz Restaurant Awards on Sunday 16 November. (Buy your tickets now.) See the other nominees here.