of food into an elegant environment."
There were many special moments at this year’s Eat Out Awards in November, from the amazing six-course meals to the surprising winner of the Eat Out Woolworths Restaurant of the Year — The LivingRoom at Summerhill Guest Estate in Pinetown, KwaZulu-Natal.
Anther memorable moment was the announcement by the co-owner of The Marble Group, chef David Higgs, as he accepted a one star rating award for Marble Restaurant in Rosebank, Johannesburg — that a Cape Town branch of the Restaurant would open in late 2023.
He later told the Mail & Guardian that the restaurant will be at the V&A Waterfront and is part of the expansion of The Marble Group, which owns an upmarket convenience store called Pantry, situated under the Marble Restaurant in Rosebank and two other restaurants in Sandton, Saint and Zioux, which took home the Eat Out VISI Style Award at the 2022 Eat Out Awards.
Framed entirely by glass, Marble in Cape Town will be on a rooftop. For Higgs, finding a location that has generators and an accessible water source was important.
“We have the pressures everyday of running these restaurants, especially at the capacity we run them. We don’t need those extra expenses because those things also fall on us too. And we would not go to Cape Town if it wasn’t for the right site. The reason we feel the Waterfront was a good option for us, especially now five years later, is that the Waterfront is kind of a city within a city because of the infrastructure,” he says.
The Mother City’s tourism attractions also contributed to the decision.
“The Marble Group is a brand that is international. We feel like it’s a brand that can travel especially to destinations, and Cape Town is a destination that draws people. Johannesburg is the hub for sure and we know that the business is here, but Cape Town is a massive draw card.
“So for us to be able to get into that sort of map is a massive step for us. We feel that Marble will do well there, there’s a nice gap in the market for it. Cape Town has a lot of fine dining restaurants but we feel that Marble is quite unique. It’s not part of a chain, it’s run by us so you will find us in our restaurants all the time, which in the restaurant industry is very important.”
He said their focus will remain on serving local customers even though Cape Town is a tourist attraction.
“The tourists are a draw card but our main focus will always be to look after the locals. We’ve done that in Joburg and proved that the locals are enough to look after a business and I think that the locals are that opportunity.”
Higgs will keep the Marble theme of meat and flame in the new restaurant, but says there’s an opportunity to do something a little more experimental with the menu.
“Marble is essentially about fire and bringing this raw primal, very industrial feeling of food into an elegant environment and that’s exactly what we will do there. But the big thing for us is that the menu will change and I feel like down on the coast there is an opportunity for a lovely sort of Mediterranean kind of feel” plus being more experimental and multicultural.
Interior designer Irene Kyriacou is responsible for The Marble Group’s restaurant decor. She says that although the new restaurant will have a lighter feel inspired by its coastal location, the warmth and welcoming feel that the Joburg Marble has will follow through in Cape Town.
“Marble is truly a South African brand so whether you go to Cape Town or Joburg the language is the same. And everything we do in Marble and in our space always pays homage back to our local artisans and people we like to use in the industry that we work together with. We’ll adjust it according to the fact that we are on the coast so we are going to keep it a little bit lighter and change the artistic interpretation inside but the Marble language you will be able to identify as soon as you walk in,” she says.
“There will be things that are more Cape Town influenced than Joburg influenced but we are not going to change much about the format; it works for us, it’s not broken”.
Higgs says: “There’s something incredible about fire. It draws people closer, they are always intrigued by it, it gives a lovely warmth, it helps people relax and because the fire is front and centre when you walk into the restaurant you’ll see it there. But what’s more important is that in our restaurants there’s a blueprint that Irene creates together with our architects and industrial designers, of this lovely warmth of reception which people bring together with the environment.
When designing any space Kyriacou believes that it’s important to give patrons an experience that not only complements the cuisine but is also a dining adventure that she would appreciate.
“My rule is, always to do what I would for myself. That’s never failed me. I always think about what I would like to experience and receive in that space dining sitting in that chair and I think it just comes naturally that you’ll do it for your guests. We see this place as our home the same way I would invite a guest into my home and be hospitable to them. I think it’s also our success,” she says.
Higgs agrees that the group prioritises experience in their restaurants where, “every plate is thought of” and the environment complements the food, look and cutlery, creating a luxury dining space.
“There’s a shift in culinary; people want to have fun, they don’t always just want to sit and eat. Yes, you want the food but you also want great music, a night out.”