Chef Ryan Cole to open COY Restaurant at the V&A Waterfront

The award-winning chef behind Salsify at the Roundhouse will be opening his second restaurant, within the iconic shopping precinct, in August 2024.

This August, Chef Ryan Cole will be bringing his acclaimed cooking to the V&A Waterfront. On the water’s edge, with Table Mountain as a backdrop, rooted in an iconic African location, COY will invite guests to discover a relaxed take on fine dining through a singularly, unique expression of southern African cooking.

“At COY we will present an ocean-inspired exploration of African produce, age-old preparations techniques, forgotten ingredients and ways of cooking. The ocean is on our doorstep and the mountain provides an exceptional backdrop, so it’s only natural that we draw inspiration from them both,” explains Chef Ryan.

In line with the chef’s culinary ethos there will be a strong focus on sustainable, ethical, seasonal, and local sourcing of ingredients. The menu is expected to feature plenty of ferments, the utilisation of age-old ingredients and rediscovered African cooking techniques. While seafood dominant, that’s not to say there won’t be a fair share of ethically sourced meat on the menu.

Working alongside Chef Ryan in the kitchen will be head chefs Geoffrey Abrahams and Teenola Govender.

From L to R: Head Chef Teenola Govender, Executive Chef Ryan Cole and Head Chef Geoffrey Abrahams.

When it comes to look and feel, Cape Town based interior designers, KT Interiors, have been tasked with bringing COY to life, and the space has been designed to maximise the surrounding views of land and sea.

The interior team conceptualising a muted, moody yet sophisticated space which leans into COY’s modern African identity and showcases its world class location, while ensuring the food remains front and centre.  

Renders of the space by KT Interiors.

At COY the nuance of an ingredient, the subtlety of service, and the essence of a dish, will be revealed to all those who take the time to find it. Explore the unexplored and discover that which is hidden in plain sight.

It’s there for the taking, it’s just COY.

Bookings open from 9 August on dineplan.