Please introduce yourself to our members.
I'm Tamsin Snyman from Cape Town. Born and bred South African and daughter to the late great food writer, author and publisher Lannice Snyman. I am a culinary consultant for restaurants in my country, I am a cookbook publisher and food writer, I am the Academy Chair for the World's 50 Best Restaurants for the region East & Southern Africa, I have a 300-seater café in a heritage homestead on a wine farm in the Cape Winelands and I am the founder of Plant-Based Creative which produces a range of vegan products for retail and most importantly, I am the proud and besotted mother of my 14-year-old daughter Trinity.
Tell us about your current project.
I'm currently curating a food space and deli in a 300-year-old heritage building in the Cape Winelands alongside my Clay Café next door. I'll be re-launching my Plant-Based Creative kitchen in that space and consulting to families to help them creatively transition to a more plant-based lifestyle.
Tell us about the restaurant scene in Cape Town.
Cape Town is recognized as one the food capitals of the World. Our top-end dining spaces are holding their own among the world's top chefs and restaurants. Our chefs have major respect for locally sourced ingredients; after all, the Cape Floral Region here is a World Heritage site which boasts the earth's highest concentration of plant species with 70% of them grown nowhere else on the planet. This fuels creativity among our chefs as they embrace edible local fynbos plants and flowers, many of which can be found on our menus. The food scene is hugely diverse from homely local hot spots with chalkboard menus on sidewalks of busy streets, to fine dining spaces that can be found annually on the world's best restaurant awards lists.
South Africans are naturally warm, inviting and a super hospitable nation and our country relies heavily on tourism to survive. Most of all, we are very proud of our incredible country-hugging oceans, massive mountains, forests and winelands and can't wait to show off our bounty to the world.
“Dining at Salsify presents pure nostalgia in each dish that delivers visually, texturally and on-point flavour every time.”
What are your three favorite restaurants in Cape Town and why?
Salsify – Boasts the best views of the cape over Camps Bay towards the 12 Apostle Mountain range. Housed in an historical 1786 former hunting lodge home. Chef Ryan Cole embraces every local to the point of heading out to see himself on a fishing boat to catch the fish of the day for diners. He showcases fermentation, pickling and preservation of ingredients like no other chef is doing in our country quite the same way. Dining here presents pure nostalgia in each dish that delivers visually, texturally and on-point flavour every time. What I love most is that a multi-course dining experience here is incredibly balanced which is hard to accomplish and often overlooked by so many chefs curating these menus.
La Colombe – No stranger to awards and featured on the World's 50 Best Restaurants list since 2006, this restaurant continues to evolve year-on-year with Chef James Gaag at the helm. Its location is tucked into a forest above an organic wine estate at the top of Constantia Nek, like a giant white-timber tree house. Diners are taken on a multi-course journey throughout their meal with dishes inspired by the bounty of the surrounding mountains, magnificently highlighted with fynbos and flowers. Chef James' love for the ocean is evident in stellar seafood dishes presented in unique crockery that nod to the geographical landscapes of the Cape. It is a spectacular dining experience that showcases the best of South African produce and wines from the world-renowned Constantia wine region.
FYN – Situated in the beating heart of the Mother City in historic Church Square, FYN is a breathtakingly beautiful restaurant space with floor-to-ceiling, triple story glass windows framing the view of Table Mountain and Lion's Head. Exec Chef and restaurant owner, Peter Tempelhoff has had a string of award-winning restaurants in his career. This one is a highly unlikely but very clever combination of South African and Japanese flavours, fueled by Peter's obsession for both countries. By his side on the wine and service front is Jennifer Hugé who spent 17 years at the award-winning La Colombe as manager and sommelier. Jen runs this brigade of service staff with French style precision so not going for the wine-pairing option at FYN is sacrilege as you won't find a more icon food and wine pairing in the city.
What’s a new restaurant or hidden gem in Cape Town that you think is doing great things?
Mertia – A short drive out of the city to Stellenbosch. Mertia Restaurant has just turned one and fast turning heads and landing bums in seats. A killer combo of hospitality is Marais Kirsten-Uys (the restaurant is named after his grandmother) and Chef Matt van den Berg. Sophisticated but not homely in a wonderful way. Understated interiors make one feel fully relaxed. Multiple courses that aren't too many and unintimidating. Dish flavours are full and presentation is magical and meticulous. I can't wait to see these guys sour on the local food scene.
What’s your favorite kind of restaurant and why?
Ever changing for me as I am exposed to so many globally. But for now, I'd say Asian because my daughter loves sushi and I love to see my daughter's palate evolve as she explores new flavours.
What are your three favorite food cities and your favorite restaurants in those cities?
Bangkok (Sühring / Nusara / Gaggan)
San Francisco (Cotogna / SingleThread)
Dubai (Tresind Studio / Orfali Bros / Avatara)
What is your favorite dish and where is your favorite restaurant to have it?
Cape Malay Bobotie Samosas at GOLD Restaurant in Cape Town.
Who is an up-and-coming chef you are keeping an eye on?
Matt van den Berg. Mertia Restaurant, Stellenbosch
Who is a food expert whose restaurant recommendations you’d like to see?
Nigella Lawson – I'd love to know where she eats and why (@nigellalawson)
Abigail Donnelly (South Africa) – I have so much respect for her industry insight in South Africa (@donnellyabi)
Trinity Snyman – for the future, watch this space and yes, I am biased, but Trinity has an incredible palate and I can't wait to watch her grow into a future globe-trotting foodie (@trinitysnyman)
