CNN has released a hit list of 18 new restaurants across the globe that food lovers should be visiting this year – and a Cape Town eatery has cracked the nod. Bree Street’s nose-to-tail eatery La Tête joins others owned by the likes of the co-founder of NOMA, Danish chef Claus Meyer, at New York’s Grand Central Station, and a seafood restaurant by household name Nathan Outlaw in Dubai, which boasts a floor-to-ceiling aquarium.

Brothers Giles and James Edwards are the dream team behind the Mother City restaurant, which has a much more stripped-down look and feel, in line with its food philosophy. Building on his experience working with Fergus Henderson at St. JOHN, a famed nose-to-tail London eatery, chef Giles likes to showcase flavour and simplicity, using unusual cuts of animals (pigs’ tails with aioli, anyone?) and local ingredients like samphire.

 

A photo posted by La Tête Restaurant Cape Town (@la_tete_restaurant) on Dec 9, 2016 at 7:50am PST

 

On La Tête’s inclusion on this list, James says, “It’s a huge amount of effort to start a new restaurant and it’s so wonderful to receive recognition for that. We have a vision which we have stuck to and it’s great to see so many people buying into that vision.”

Part of that vision is to encourage consumers to be more daring, and spreading the word about sustainable – and delicious – cooking and eating.

The hake at La Tête. Photo by Claire Gunn.

“We find that people are very adventurous,” explains James. “Because we change our menu twice a day, a lot of dishes flip between mains and starters, and a lot of tables share, which means people can try different, unusual dishes without having to commit to a full plate of lambs brains for a main… and the response has been great.”

 

A photo posted by La Tête Restaurant Cape Town (@la_tete_restaurant) on Dec 15, 2016 at 2:51am PST

As for being ready for potential masses arriving in the wake of the CNN story, James says the squad at La Tête is good to go: “Fortunately, we have Stephanie, our front-of-house manager, who is brilliant. She can handle a crowd and can find a table for someone when no table appears available. We’ve now got an amazing full team in the kitchen which is working well, so bring it on!”

Mussels at La Tête. Photo by Rupesh Kassen.

From the kitchen side of things, Giles recommends the mussels on the menu right now. “We’ve had a series of supermoons, which means that the mussels at the moment are just phenomenal. Our philosophy is to serve amazing produce with as little intervention from us as possible.” Freshly caught fish from their local suppliers is also a highlight, and the brothers both love lamb brains, too.

Watch our video on what to expect at La Tête:

Read more about the restaurant here and have a look at the CNN list here. Have you paid La Tête a visit yet? Tell us about it in a review.