Five years is a long time in the restaurant business, October saw chef Richard Carstens mark a memorable milestone since taking over the kitchen at Tokara Restaurant on 19 October 2010.
For the fifth consecutive year the restaurant is a top 20 finalist in the annual Eat Out Mercedes-Benz Restaurant Awards, thanks to Carstens’ innovative cuisine that blends classical techniques with a decidedly modernist approach; seamlessly marrying both Continental and Asian influences into a cohesive cuisine that is inimitably and unmistakably Carstens.
The restaurant’s patrons clearly agree with the professional critics’ assessment judging by the restaurant’s recent inclusion in the Tripadvisor.com Travellers’ Choice South Africa Fine Dining Top 10 list.
The third accolade of Tokara Restaurant’s 2015 “Triple Crown” is its nomination for the Eat Out Boschendal Style Awards.
Visitors to Tokara Restaurant will discover a different face to this landmark restaurant, with a subtle interior revamp gifting the restaurant a fresh, modern look ahead of the summer season.
Carpets have been replaced with cool screed floors, while sleek cream leather chairs add a touch of elegance come evening. Striking copper light fixtures, fashioned by a local craftsman, hang from the wooden rafters to cast an amber glow on a collection of William Kentridge tapestries that dominate the walls.
With the busy summer season around the corner Richard has found new inspiration to present another unforgettable summer menu.
Available from mid-October, the revamped à la carte offering boasts a mouth-watering collection of both brand-new creations and Carstens classics revisited and refined. To mark the restaurant’s fifth anniversary the new menu will also feature a remarkable Chef’s Menu, available from November. The five-course feast will take diners on a culinary journey through Carstens’ time at Tokara, celebrating a selection of the standout dishes from the past half-decade.
Throw in the surfeit of modernity on the plate, and that’s certainly no hardship. With the décor enjoying a gentle nip-tuck, and the menu showcasing the considerable creative energy in the kitchen, Tokara restaurant is marking five years in the game by looking forward to the future.