Famed Cape Town chef and restaurateur Liam Tomlin, known for serving up delicious dishes at Chef’s Warehouse, is opening another new restaurant in the Mother City. Called ‘Local’, it is designed to be a space for and by residents.
Local will open on Heritage Square in November. The restaurant-meets-retail space will be focused on celebrating local products and vendors.
The location will feature a restaurant and bar in the upstairs seating section, and a retail space downstairs. Tomlin plans to open a Middle Eastern eating bar called ‘Mazza’ in Cape Town. Meaning ” to share”, the bar will represent flavours of all 17 Middle Eastern countries.
Only local craftspeople are being used to build the new space, in keeping up with the restaurant’s overall theme.
Speaking to the Daily Maverick, Tomlin explained that 99% of the retail space will be stocked with products from local producers, from olive oil to fresh fish, cheese, pasta and even kitchenware.
“The whole idea of Local is you can come in and go downstairs to the charcuterie bar, have some oysters, grab a fresh juice, do some shopping. Or you can go up to Mazza and have four or five dishes and a local craft beer, without a massive bill. You order as few or as many as you want. Local is about designing around what you need,” he said.
Says Liam Tomlin: “When I first walked into this incredible space, I knew that a Chefs Warehouse at Tintswalo Atlantic was a no brainer. This location is surely one of the best dining rooms in South Africa, if not the entire world. It is a dream come true to have a Chefs Warehouse not only close to, but right on the ocean, to complete our package of restaurants in the Cape winelands and the city.
Picture: Instagram / Liam Tomlin
