Shaun Scrooby, the founder and head chef of VUUR restaurant at Remhoogte Wine Estate, spent 17 years as a safari guide before converting an old stable into an award-winning restaurant.
VUUR restaurant in Stellenbosch was recently selected for the World’s 101 Best Steak Restaurants for 2024, 2025 and 2026, now ranking 52nd on the list.
Scrooby, who was raised on a farm in South Africa, opened his restaurant in 2022, built on his style of cooking with fire.
“We are such a small restaurant tucked away on a wine farm in the Stellenbosch area that really didn’t look at achieving anything internationally,” Scrooby told GQ magazine in an interview.
“We were content with getting guests to come and join us, have a good time and enjoy some good food and wine.”
Scrooby, having worked in the safari industry for 20 years, said he wanted to build something different when starting his restaurant.
“During this time, we saw what storytelling meant to our guests who came on safari. It is the way that stories are passed from generation to generation around Africa,” he said.
“It is the way that we are able to pass on history and teach each other about our traditions, cultures and show people from where you are.”
His idea was to allow the people dining at his restaurant to talk to the chefs making their food, not only learning about the food and wine being served, but also about the people who cook it, fostering real connections with the restaurant.
“At VUUR, I want people to always see the fire burning, drawing us all in like moths to the flame so that we are mesmerised by the place,” Scrooby said.
He added that this is what people should experience even without eating the food, just drinking the wine and sharing the space with the people.
At VUUR, the kitchen is completely powered by wood fire, with ingredients selected from local farmers, butchers and foragers.
What makes VUUR one of the top steak restaurants in the world
At Scrooby’s VUUR restaurant, which translates from Afrikaans to “fire” in English, the wood is used not only as fuel to cook on, but also as an ingredient used for flavouring the food.
“There is a distinct difference between the way the wood burns and the type of flavours that we can extract from the wood,” said Scrooby.
“We will use different woods during the service, starting with the softer, less flavourful woods in the beginning when we cook our fish and then slowly but surely push through to the harder woods once we are doing the meats.”
He said his favourite woods to use at VUUR are Mopane and Kameeldoring, as he believes they provide lasting coals and a good flavour for the various meats.
“We should not only eat with our senses, but we should eat with understanding, an understanding of why, who and where from. It is then that you remember the food, remember the experience as you relate with it more.”
An interesting choice by Scrooby was to only serve one table a day at the Remhoogte Wine Estate. This is to ensure that the guests do not feel rushed to leave and can get the exclusive attention of the chef.
He said that dining at VUUR should feel like visiting a friend’s house that cooks well, has nice wines, and is willing to share them with you.
At VUUR, certain dishes are served more often; however, the restaurant said it frequently changes its menu based on the ingredients available.
They always aim to include something from the ocean, something from the land or their garden, a variety of meat dishes, and a sweet treat to end the meal.
Scrooby said they do not have a set menu; instead, they decide what to include by evaluating the best ingredients available each week for each reservation.
Photos of VUUR restaurant
