Les Créatifs is as much a fine-dining restaurant as it is a creative institution. It’s a training ground for young talent; a hub of gifted creatives burgeoning with ideas under the expert guidance of Chef Wandile Mabaso.

Mabaso, who grew up in Soweto, is passionate about telling authentic African stories. You’ll see this thread run through every element of the experience, from the locally sourced, indigenous ingredients which include langoustines direct from a fisherman in Maputo and beef tongue from a farmer in Krugersdorp, to the furnishings and eclectic selection of locally crafted crockery.  

Mabaso calls his cuisine ‘Afrique moderne’, or modernised African cuisine. It really is unique, and we don’t use that word lightly. 

His food is rich and layered with remarkable complexity of flavours that reveal themselves gradually within each bite. The textures excite, the colours delight, every mouthful is a sensory carnival. Think Krugersdorp beef tongue with ox liver, marrow, a chakalaka potato, melon atchar and impepho-smoked tripe jus. Each dish imbued with story, a richness of ingredients, flavour and the time and care that it’s taken to put together. There’s something quite spiritual about his food, in the consideration that every element is given. His food demands your attention, and it is a delight to give it.

Read more about Chef Mabaso and Les Créatifs here.