| This is the favourite restaurant of black economic empowerment millionaires, foreign correspondents and those leading politicians who can afford its steep prices. High-backed chairs make every table a booth and every diner a king, scoffing mostly French (but some Italian) cuisine - cote de boeuf, tarte fine de nicoise, mignon de springbok, a creamy risotto, and frogs' legs and snails served in a brioche for the traditionalists. Foie gras and truffles appear often in the list of ingredients.
Asked to cook a meal for the Eat Out restaurant guide, chef Frederic Leloup produced rabie de lapin cuit vapeur - steamed, stuffed rabbit.
The restaurant, owned by Burgundian Michel Morand and Joburg businessman Vusi Sithole, was opened in April 2004 and promptly began garnering prizes. It was the first restaurant in the country to win the Tourism Grading Council's five-star rating, and it was open only a few months when it made the Eat Out Johnnie Walker list of the country's Top 10 restaurants.
It is known for "superb cuisine, exceptional service and wonderful wines in a setting that tends to be more posh than casual, with prices to match", according to Dine 100's Top 10 Restaurants.
122 Pretoria Avenue, Sandton Telephone: 011 883 7013 Open for lunch Tuesdays to Fridays and dinner Mondays to Saturdays.
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