Leeto is the brainchild and childhood dream of celebrated local chef Garth Almazan, who many will remember from his 18-year tenure as head chef at Catharina’s, Steenberg’s fine-dining restaurant. After taking a fruitful creative break to explore and familiarise himself with the West Coast, its farms, and its vegetation, Almazan returned with an idea for a refined and contemporary West Coast-cuisine restaurant — think fresh seafood prepared in myriad ways, with the focus firmly on respecting the produce and never overworking the ingredients.
Almazan and his wife Cecile operate Leeto as a destination restaurant, in partnership with Simone Jacke and Deon Brand. Almazan, who trained under Garth Stroebel at the Belmont Mount Nelson, has always been a city chef, so a move to Paternoster has been a welcome departure.
“It’s been a wonderful culinary journey for me from the Constantia winelands to the wild, natural beauty of the West Coast. Here in Paternoster, we live close to nature and in harmony with the ocean,” he says. “The natural environment has been a great source of inspiration for what I cook. I’m excited to present approachable contemporary West Coast cuisine using local treasures from the sea, such as oysters and mussels, and sustainable fish like Cape bream.”
For your next staycation, or a chance to taste the best crème brûlée on the West Coast, Leeto awaits.