With sweeping views of the Atlantic Ocean and Lion’s Head mountain, Salsify is a cornerstone of Cape Town's burgeoning fine dining scene, offering modern cooking inspired by nature and driven by the seasons. From award-winning Executive Chef Ryan Cole, the critically acclaimed restaurant is continually recognised as one of South Africa’s best fine dining establishments.
Located within the richly storied walls of The Roundhouse national monument, which dates to 1786, the restaurant finely balances seasonality and sustainability with history. Salsify works to pay homage to history, stories and ingredients through its design and delicate dishes.
About The Menu:
Salsify’s tasting menus are ever-evolving to showcase the best hyperlocal produce, inspired by surrounding mountainous landscapes and abundant Atlantic waters. Executive Chef Ryan Cole, Head Chef Nina du Toit and their consummate team create intelligent yet understated dishes that spotlight locally sourced proteins, foraged herbs, ancient grains and preserved local ingredients, often from previous seasons.
Ryan’s confident, unfussy style of cooking characterises the offering. He draws on the techniques of classical cooking - be it European, South African or Asian - but combines with modern creativity and a dedication to provenance and sustainability to challenge the conventions of fine dining.
Fish features prominently on the menu, reflecting the restaurant’s ocean-facing setting and paying tribute to chef Ryan’s childhood growing up in a family of career fishermen. Ryan has become recognised for “catching” the seafood served on his menu, with most of it either caught by Cole or his brother to ensure not only freshness, but also peace of mind that it has been ethically sourced.
About Ryan Cole:
Executive Chef and Co-Owner, Ryan Cole’s first introduction to a professional kitchen was through work experience at Cape Town’s The Vineyard Hotel. Fascinated by the experience, Ryan continued his work with the hotel after his placement finished, from apprenticeship to completing the South African Chefs Academy.
Ryan then booked a one-way ticket to London, joining Launceston Place under former 2 Michelin Star chef Tristan Welch. During his four years in London, Ryan worked in some of the capital’s top kitchens including The Square with 2 Michelin Star chef Phil Howard, and Rob Weston at La Trompette.
Returning to South Africa, Ryan became Sous Chef at the top-ranked La Motte in Franschhoek, before joining Chef Luke Dale Roberts at his restaurant, The Test Kitchen (then ranked 48 on the World’s 50 Best List), where he would go on to become Head Chef. He spent four years at The Test Kitchen, and then opened Salsify in partnership with Dale Roberts in 2018, taking over ownership in 2020.
Ryan’s ethos of sustainability, seasonality and inclusivity are clear throughout his work; he continually strives to leverage his restaurants as places for growth and diversity, and is passionate about building a strong community of chefs, suppliers and industry around him.
About The Drinks:
Salsify is recognised by discerning diners and connoisseurs for its premium wine list and cellar, which includes allocations and rare library stock. Made up of approximately 3,000 bottles and featuring around 500 local and international producers, the collection has evolved since the restaurant’s opening to become more inclusive and diverse - from female- and black-owned brands to more unusual and up-and-coming producers.
In line with the regularly changing tasting menus, Salsify’s wine pairings are continually developing. Chef Ryan and Sommelier Sam Ross work together dynamically to pick wines that compliment seasonal ingredients and flavours.
About the Interior Design and Experience:
Salsify occupies the upper level of the historically significant national monument, The Roundhouse. The building was first used as a guardhouse for the Cape, then as a hunting lodge for the Cape’s Governor, Sir Lord Charles Somerset.
Cole collaborated with interior designer Jean Francois de Villiers to honour the building's history. The design is rooted in Salsify’s three guiding pillars: history, seasonality, and sustainability.
Guests experience Salsify moving through the building, starting in the Reception Room where they are invited to participate in ceremonial hand washing - an African ritual encouraging a deepening of senses and an opportunity to connect with the restaurant's ethos.
Then on to the Preservation Chamber for a welcome cocktail and gifts from the kitchen. The chamber elegantly showcases the pickling, fermentation and preservation of South African ingredients used throughout the menu. Original masonry is juxtaposed with modern murals that narrate the story of one of the building’s earliest inhabitants, crafted by international street artist Louis de Villiers A.K.A Skullboy.
Diners are then seated in the Sea Room, surrounded by beautiful, wide-ranging sea views. The calming, neutral space is met with post-modern colour blocks and art from emerging South African artists, paying homage to the surrounding nature in a modern-meets-neoclassical fashion.
The Seasonal Room houses the restaurant’s centrepiece - an Origami ceiling installation made of thousands of previous Salsify menus, symbolising the restaurant’s journey and ongoing commitment to sustainability.
Awards:
In 2022, the restaurant was added to the World’s 50 Best Discovery list, and won the coveted Eat Out WCellar Wine Service Award. The following year Salsify was awarded three stars for the second year running at the 2023 Eat Out Woolworths Restaurant Awards, with Chef Ryan winning the Eat Out Woolworths Financial Services Chef of the Year 2023. He was also voted by his peers as the Eat Out Birkenstock Chefs’ Chef Award winner in 2023. Since then, Salsify has been named as “Africa's Best Landmark Restaurant” for two years running (2023/4) at the World Culinary Awards™, and received Three Plates at the annual Jenny Handley Gourmet Guide Awards, where Chef Ryan Cole also received the Haute Posterity Award.
