Proudly brought to you by Lexus, the official vehicle sponsor for the Eat Out Woolworths Restaurant Awards 2022.

Chef Johannes Richter from The LivingRoom at Summerhill Guest Estate, winner of the 2022 Eat Out Woolworths Restaurant of the Year Award, and Chef James Gaag from La Colombe, one of the 2022 Eat Out Awards 3-star winners, chat to us about what excellence in fine dining means to them.

When it comes to Lexus vehicles, design, creative excellence, and aesthetic precision are of the utmost importance. Bold, brave conceptual thinking is what inspires design at Lexus. Like Lexus, in order to remain exceptional, La Colombe has always stayed true to qualities that set them apart from the rest. With bold artistic flair, attention to detail and originality, La Colombe earns its place in people’s memories.

 

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The ability to learn more about other people’s cultures through food is one of life’s greatest treasures. “The incredible team that I have, the inspiration that I draw from my travels, as well as the beauty in seasonality, push me creatively,” says Chef James Gaag.

All the details in the interior of a Lexus vehicle work together to create a serene ambience as well as a sense of luxury and comfort. This is the same approach that La Colombe has taken to their dining experience. Arriving at La Colombe, you immediately notice the charming interior and glorious atmosphere.

Placing no limitations on creativity is one of the values that fine dining and luxury vehicles have in common – they both look beyond their respective industries to find inspiration for all aspects of their craft. The inspiration Lexus and fine-dining chefs garner from different sources is combined to create class-leading designs and extraordinary fine-dining experiences.

The LivingRoom’s head chef, Chef Johannes Richter, enjoyed the privilege of training and gathering experience in some of the world’s best restaurants abroad. Upon his return home, he made it his mission in life to constantly re-invent himself and create memorable and authentic dining experiences that make him stand out from the others. “The LivingRoom showcases the province’s culinary diversity from garden to plate, expressed through my fine French training and passion for Asian techniques. It is a fine-dining experience combining exceptional food with premium wines and top-notch service,” he says.

 

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Sourcing only local ingredients and produce grown in their own garden, The LivingRoom never compromises on using the finest ingredients to create its delicious seasonally led dishes. Durban’s culinary diversity shines through the extraordinary and unpretentious dishes, enhanced with creative flair.

The LivingRoom embraces the concept of being your most authentic self in all you do. Chef Johannes believes that in order to be irreplaceable, one must always be different, and this speaks to Lexus’s unique and bold identity.

The LivingRoom’s ambience and style of plating is characterised by simplicity, which echoes Lexus’s incisive simplicity in everything they create. Any excessive complexity is stripped away to provoke honest, undiluted emotion in the driving experience.