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The best gourmet burger by far

Wednesday, January 29th, 2014 by Abigail Donnelly
Emily's burger

Emily’s mushroom burger

I have admired Peter Veldsman and chef Johan Odendaal for so many years. In fact, their restaurant Emily’s in Woodstock was one of the very first places to inspire me when I first moved to Cape Town. It was a quirky little upstairs eatery in Woodstock before they moved to the Waterfront. I was delighted to hear that they’ve moved back into town with a more casual approach, but are still cooking food with honesty and care. Peter is a doyen of food and Johan is a very underrated chef.

Towards the end of last year I hosted a Spier Secret Festival dinner with ceramist extraordinaire Mervyn Gers (who also worked with us on our 2013 Eat Out DStv Food Network Restaurant Awards) and his partner, Christa Koch Terblanche, using their beautiful pieces, which I have seen at some top restaurants. Whilst setting up for the dinner, Christa raved on about the new Emily’s and that I had to try the burger.

Burger King Whopper

We’re slightly concerned by the radioactive-looking garnish in this picture

While I do love a gourmet burger, I am often disappointed. (But must admit that a Burger King Whopper sometimes does the trick!) So I popped into Emily’s and sat in the beautiful manicured garden, about which both Peter and Johan are also passionate. We ordered the mushroom burger and I haven’t stopped thinking about it since.

It was something else. A delicious, succulent, beef patty stuffed between a toasted roll with a homemade tomato relish and then, a mushroom sauce that blew my mind: a mix-up of exotic mushrooms enrobed in cream. The chips are hand cut and literally perfect, and it comes with a salad of all things nice like asparagus and artichokes tossed in one of Johan’s dressings. Our table concurred: it was the best burger yet!

What I haven’t tried yet, though, is a gourmet burger at The Wolf Pack in Parkhurst. It’s on my Johannesburg hit list for next time!

Happy burger eating!
Abigail

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No Comments

  • Lynda Wentzel
    January 29, 2014

    Since they have moved to Kloof Street we have been back at least 4 times and even enjoyed New Years eve dinner there – all absolutely divine!
    We had the mushroom burgers for lunch one day and it was just as you described it….. and the little salad that accompanies it was so delicious – kept poking around in it to see what else we could find.
    It will definitely be one of our regular haunts!

    Reply
  • Vic
    January 29, 2014

    So which burger is the one from Emilys? Or is the very bright burger pic a not so subtle product placement?

    Reply
    1. Eat Out
      January 30, 2014

      Good point, Vic! We sent a photographer over to Emily’s today to get a pic of the real deal mushroom burger, which now appears on the article. Hope you like it!

  • tina
    January 30, 2014

    Try the burger at the Longtable Restaurant in Stellenbosch. I have never tasted better

    Reply
  • James
    February 4, 2014

    Let’s try and drop the term gourmet burger. Think it’s time we went with just…burger.

    Reply
  • Righard
    April 9, 2014

    Thumbs-up for the Emily’s burger; the best I’ve tasted in a very long time!!

    Reply

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