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Les Créatifs Restaurant

Contemporary Fine Dining French
RRR

Attributes

  • Romantic
  • Gourmet Guide Plated
  • Reviewers' Choice 2023 - Top 100

Chef Wandile Mabaso is a creative food artist full of global experiences. He has vast international experience and has worked with internationally renowned Chefs in Michelin star restaurants in New York and Paris.

Classically trained in French cuisine, he currently specializes in contemporary French haute cuisine, where only the finest luxury ingredients are used and treated with extreme perfection in the most bespoke settings.

Today, Chef Wandile Mabaso is the owner of Les Créatifs Restaurant, which is shaking up the Johannesburg food scene with its unique offering: an experiential form of dining that takes guests on an exciting gastronomic journey.

Gourmet Guide Description

Wandile Mabaso – with his stellar pedigree, including stints at Michelin-starred restaurants in Paris and New York – made waves on the Gauteng culinary scene when he transformed a former office space and opened Les Créatifs (The Creatives) five years ago.

This perfectionist chef has elevated his game in a four-course celebration of the African continent, applying his French-learned techniques while telling magical African stories through his food. Courses are named after the regions where the main ingredients are sourced – Dullstroom trout, Krugersdorp beef tongue and cheek, Delmas duck, and Cape lobster.

The Delmas duck is the pièce de résistance—a whole roasted duck topped with herbes de Provence from which the breast is removed and pan-fried, served with a naartjie gastrique and cumin lentils. The generous lobster tail is smoked and served with a Cape Malay-inspired jus, celeriac pureé, and fermented sorghum and samp risotto-style. Dessert tells the story of bees, using Dullstroom pollen honey with honey espuma, a pollen biscuit, and plum caviar, while the African Soprano is a take on the classic French opera cake, using chocolate sourced from Ghana along with amasi.

Reviews (450)

4.6 out of 5.0
Based on the past 12 months
Food 4.7
Value 4.4
Service 4.7
Ambience 4.5
  • Wendy M. Dined: 6 days ago
    1.8
    Food 3.0
    Value 1.0
    Service 1.0
    Ambience 2.0

    Reviewed on: Mon 04 Nov 24
    I was thoroughly disappointed with my recent visit to this restaurant, which fell far short of my high expectations. The experience lacked any semblance of fine dining, and the value for money was nonexistent. Several issues marred our evening: - Unavailability of desired wines, followed by a 30-40 minute wait for the chosen wine to be chilled. - No bathroom facilities within the restaurant, forcing patrons to use the shopping center's restrooms. To make matters worse, we were celebrating my partner's birthday. The restaurant offered a mini cake for an additional R300 – a surprising charge, especially considering most fine-dining establishments provide complimentary gestures for special occasions. Overall, the experience was underwhelming and not worth the cost.

  • Natalie D. Dined: 5 days ago
    4.5
    Food 5.0
    Value 4.0
    Service 5.0
    Ambience 4.0
  • Oageng T. Dined: 6 days ago
    4.3
    Food 4.0
    Value 3.0
    Service 5.0
    Ambience 5.0

    Reviewed on: Fri 01 Nov 24
    The food was delicious, the service was 7 stars. The people serving were very much knowledgeable and patient. The only issue was that the restroom are a bit far from the restaurant and considering that one is sitting through a 4 course meal, a closer bathroom within the establishment (even if it's shared between males and females) would be a good idea.

  • Mandisa H. Dined: 6 days ago
    4.3
    Food 4.0
    Value 4.0
    Service 4.0
    Ambience 5.0

    Reviewed on: Thu 31 Oct 24
    I enjoyed the overall experience at Les Creatifs. They have a four course menu and you can choose to pair with wine or cocktails. We decided not to pair the food with anything (it was a weekday night and we were trying not to get hammered) but rather get a bottle to share. The sommelier was knowledgeable about the wines and what would work best based on the dishes we selected. I had the tuna tartar for the first course. Amazing. The explosion of flavors. Out of this world. Hubby had the beef tongue and cheeks which he also enjoyed. Second course we both had calamari. It was honestly just okay. Third course hubby had the lobster and I had the Karoo lamb. The lamb could have been cooked 2 min less. It was slightly overcooked for my liking but the flavors were great. Dessert was also okay. I have a terrible sweet tooth and like my desserts disgustingly sweet so I will not be rating the desserts. My husband ordered the Dullstroom Pollen Honey which was interesting. I kept expecting something more while eating it. It felt something was missing. It needed something to make it "wow". It was getting there but just missed the mark. Really not sure what. I cannot for the life of me remember what my dessert was called. This would be amazing for anyone. Not sweet. Different flavours and textures. Grilled peach to cut through the creaminess. Lastly there was complimentary bubbles and chocolate (with brownies inside) to close off the night. I enjoyed this last touch and the chocolate for my sweet tooth :-) I will definitely go back and will try the cocktail pairing.

  • Jason F. Dined: 1 week ago
    5
    Food 5.0
    Value 5.0
    Service 5.0
    Ambience 5.0

    Reviewed on: Wed 30 Oct 24
    Speechless. My only regret as an Epicurean Exploer is that we didn't find this Oasis sooner. The menu changes every 2 weeks. We (and many others) will be back again...and probably again thereafter. A rare find.

  • Suvasin M. Dined: 1 week ago
    5
    Food 5.0
    Value 5.0
    Service 5.0
    Ambience 5.0

    Reviewed on: Wed 30 Oct 24
    Absolutely incredible dining experience. Food was amazingly prepared and the flavours were superb. Camt wait to be back

  • James M. Dined: 1 week ago
    4.8
    Food 5.0
    Value 5.0
    Service 5.0
    Ambience 4.0
  • Shadi M. Dined: 1 week ago
    5
    Food 5.0
    Value 5.0
    Service 5.0
    Ambience 5.0

    Reviewed on: Sat 26 Oct 24
    My dining experience was amazing, oh my word the food, I’m still salivating. I loved everything about this restaurant. Outstanding service, Precious and Mmapula are rock stars, expect to be wowed

  • Olivia M. Dined: 1 week ago
    5
    Food 5.0
    Value 5.0
    Service 5.0
    Ambience 5.0

    Reviewed on: Sat 26 Oct 24
    The most amazing food experience!

  • Garren S. Dined: 1 week ago
    5
    Food 5.0
    Value 5.0
    Service 5.0
    Ambience 5.0
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Opening Hours

  • Monday CLOSED
  • Tuesday 17h30 - 23h00
  • Wednesday 17h30 - 23h00
  • Thursday 17h30 - 23h00
  • Friday 17h30 - 23h00
  • Saturday 17h30 - 23h00
  • Sunday CLOSED