For the first time ever, the World’s 50 Best Restaurants has announced the restaurants ranked 51 to 100 ahead of the big top 50 list. The Tasting Room at Le Quartier Français in Franschhoek, Eat Out’s current number 3 in the Top 10, has clinched the 88^th spot, tied with Zuma, a Japanese restaurant in Dubai, and is only 15 spots away from The Fat Duck by Heston Blumenthal, which comes in at no. 73.

The Tasting Room at Le Quartier Français. Photo courtesy of the restaurant.

Margot Janse, a former winner of our chef of the year accolade, is at the helm of The Tasting Room, where she pushes the envelope of South African cuisine, using local ingredients in culinary storytelling at its best.

View the list of rankings 51 to 100 here, and tune in on 1 June for the announcement of the Top 50. We have high hopes for The Test Kitchen by Luke Dale-Roberts, which cracked the list last year at no. 48. (Read our list of 48 reasons why we love The Test Kitchen.)

The Tasting Room at Le Quartier Français. Photo courtesy of the restaurant.

Margot was thrilled about the news: “I’m super excited that we’re still a part of this amazing list – not easy when you’ve been around for so long. I’m very proud and extremely happy. It’s a fantastic list, and it’s done wonders for us.”

The Tasting Room at Le Quartier Français. Photo courtesy of the restaurant.

When asked how the team will celebrate, Margot said they’ll be sure to crack out the champagne next Saturday, 6 June 2015, before their annual closure for three weeks.