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Tessa

@tessapurdon

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🍴🥃 🌍 Food | Drinks | Travel
👩🏻‍💻Writer and editor
🧁Head of Content @eatoutguide
📍Eastern Cape farm girl in Cape Town

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Summery things @coy_capetown

The team are lightening things up a bit and diving deeper into the flavours and culinary traditions of Africa. Think ocean-inspired dishes, a shift towards West African influences, and a fresh take on the COY Experience and COY EDIT menus. by @tessapurdon

What strikes me most about Tswalu’s new restaurant @tswaluboscia_ is just how assured it feels, especially this early in the journey.

There’s a distinctly clear @cheflukedaleroberts signature in the food… thoughtful, precise and full of flavour, while the Kalahari landscape and sense of place are woven naturally into the experience.

The cooking is exceptional (with much of the team coming from a 3-star award-winning SALON). The progression of the meal is well-considered and the team is clearly firing on all cylinders. The cabbage dumpling and honey pear dessert were particular highlights for me. Crazy delicious!! And if this is the starting point, it’s going to be very exciting to watch this restaurant find its feet and evolve. by @tessapurdon

I love a chef collab - there’s something about getting the best of both worlds in a single meal. In this case, it’s @eatoutguide Woolworths Financial Services Chef of the Year @chefjohannes from @thelivingroomatsummerhill joining forces with @shaunscroobychef of two-star restaurant @vuurrestaurant . While their styles may be ostensibly different, there’s a distinct synergy in their philosophies - from a shared commitment to sustainability to their celebration of South Africa and their technique-driven reimagining of its ingredients. Yesterday the focus was venison - specifically springbok. Each dish and each flavour combination was unexpected but incredibly considered. Each course revealed another layer of what Springbok can be. And they don’t have a printed menu to share, which also adds to the fun and surprise of the moment.

The great thing is, they’re not done yet! This is the first of a three-part series, with two more collaborations still to come — one in KZN and another back in the Western Cape.

Keep an eye out for the next one! by @tessapurdon

’Tis the (blood orange) season, and I’m enjoying them the best way I know how. 🍊

• @albatrossvodka  • A splash of Campari • Tonic water • Soda water • A wedge of ripe blood orange

Mixology skills: @cathshone

Bitter, bright, fizzy. A little winter sunshine, served in a glass. ☀️ by @tessapurdon

10 years of @chefswarehousebeauconstantia 🎉🎂🎈🥂

Hard to believe this Cape Town icon has been around for a whole decade. Like all restaurants of its Eat Out star calibre, it’s mastered that balance between a relaxed atmosphere and a menu that’s technically sound while still being deeply flavour-forward.

Chef @ivorjonesct ‘s playful personality shines through on every plate, and that’s what keeps people coming back time and again - there’s always a new, fun conversation being served up. Feel grateful to have visited several times over the years with friends, family and colleagues, and to have watched the evolution along the way.

To celebrate the milestone, CW Beau is running a winter 4-course lunch special for the first time ever (don’t sleep on it!) While the signature risotto and wild honey lavender crème don’t make an appearance, there’s plenty to get excited about: Ivor’s Thai chicken with sticky rice (an oldie but a reaaaal goodie), the coal-fired bread with apple Calvados butter (I mean…), and a very cool take on sweetbreads.

I’ll sum it all up in one word: go! 🏃🏼‍♀️ 🍽️ by @tessapurdon

The 2026 Eat Out Magazine hits shelves at @woolworths_sa from tomorrow 🎊

This issue is an absolute showstopper, and I know I’m not alone in being obsessed with the cover, beautifully conceptualised and styled by @donnellyabi (all while prepping for the Eat Out Woolworths Restaurant Awards in the very same week!).

Every year I get to work on this publication feels like a pinch-me moment. It’s a project that brings me so much joy — made even better by collaborating with the brilliant @hanfredrauch, whose insight, care, creativity and humour are the cherry on top. 🍒

(And yes, Ryan Gosling makes a cameo on the back cover… which definitely doesn’t hurt 😉)

@eatoutguide @media24commercial #eatoutmag2026 by @tessapurdon

@abel_by_onverwacht you are magic! by @tessapurdon

A small moment to celebrate Sea Point’s hottest new food destination- and the legends who brought it to life.

It’s got that easy, pop-in-whenever, bring-the-family, stay-for-one-stay-for-three kind of energy.

My friends @chiaraturilli and Danilo Turilli - the powerhouse Italian brother sister duo behind @lellosdeli - have built something really special. Their genuine love for family and hospitality and obsession with quality (in every bite and every sip) has grown into a beautiful, loyal community that’s seen them move from a tiny de Waterkant space to a new location on the Atlantic seaboard. And they’re sharing it with some equally great neighbours (@frankiefennermeatmerchants , @delicious.fish.ct and @devrijeburger ).

Sea Point, you’ve got a good one 🤍 by @tessapurdon

2025, wrapped 🤍
 This year was made by people. The ones who’ve been there since the beginning, who know my stories before I finish telling them. And the new faces that showed up, and somehow made the days brighter without even trying.

Different seasons, shared laughs, milestone celebrations, honest conversations, quiet support, and moments that reminded me how lucky I am to be surrounded by so much heart. Every connection added something… depth, joy, perspective - and together they turned this year into a truly meaningful one.

Grateful for all of you who made 2025 feel full, grounded, and real with a drizzle of magic ✨ by @tessapurdon

The tuna tartare at newly opened @sea.signora in Milan’s Brera district is sensational. So simple yet full of flavour and executed with absolute finesse. Thank you @anastassiaav for sharing this new spot with me. I look forward to visiting again! ☺️ by @tessapurdon

Last week I spent the morning with the @babylonstoren creative marketing and e-commerce team to take a peek behind the online ‘curtain’ and see the backend of their impressive operation (the cold-chain is locked down!!! 🔐) Also had my first ‘Buffaccino’ made using milk from the farm’s water buffalos and then enjoyed lunch with the Babylonstoren food product team (hello dream job alert!) where they showcased their ready-made meal range with the most incredible spread. Delish! 😋 They have things like Chianina beef soup, mushroom and leek risotto, chicken curry, lamb bredie... basically all the soul-warming comfort food your body screams for in winter. The bonus is obviously their free delivery nationwide!

#seasonofcomforts 🍊 🧣 ☕️ 🌂 🧤 🍷 🍲

📷: @babylonstoren / TP by @tessapurdon