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Cyra Restaurant in Houghton: Chef Candice Philip’s Quiet Brilliance
A Quiet Revolution in Houghton
Inside The Houghton Hotel, Cyra Restaurant glows with quiet confidence. There’s no rush, no noise, only the soft hum of refinement that defines Johannesburg’s most elegant new dining room.
Chef Candice Philip, a celebrated name in South African gastronomy, leads Cyra with understated mastery. To her, food is not just about fine ingredients or presentation. It’s about memory, balance, and emotion, the kind that lingers long after the last bite. “Cyra has always been about more than dining,” she shares. “It’s about creating a place where people feel held, where flavours resonate like memories, and where every detail speaks softly but leaves a lasting impression.”
The Spring 2025 Tasting Menu
Now in its second year, Cyra’s spring six-course tasting menu celebrates freshness and restraint. Each dish feels alive with the season, light, expressive, and built to highlight natural flavour.
Chef Philip’s new lamb creation is already the talk of her kitchen, while dessert takes a poetic turn: fennel frangipane, strawberry ice cream, strawberry elderflower salad, and fennel crème. For wine lovers, a curated pairing is available to complete the experience.
Cost: R1250 per person for the six-course menu, or R1995 with wine pairing.
Image 1: Facebook/Cyra Restaurant
The Choice Menu: Revisiting Classics
Cyra’s four-course choice menu invites diners to revisit the dishes that shaped Chef Candice’s legacy. It’s nostalgic yet precise, offering highlights such as the braised pork belly with fennel chutney and liquorice purée, and the pan-fried seabass with baby fondant potatoes, leek and sesame crème, spirulina crisps, and lemon gel.
Each plate is a study in harmony, elegant, honest, and technically perfect.
The Room That Whispers Luxury
Cyra’s atmosphere is everything you expect from a fine dining sanctuary. Muted golds, blush pinks, and deep greens surround diners in quiet opulence. The lighting glows rather than glares, and panoramic views of Houghton Estate make every seat feel like the best in the house.
It’s an experience built on ease, where time seems to slow down, perfect for celebrating milestones or simply escaping the city rush.
When: Tuesday to Saturday, 6:30 am to 10 pm
Where: The Houghton Hotel, Lloys Ellis Avenue, Houghton Estate, Johannesburg
Website: cyra.co.za | Email: [email protected] | Tel: 011 032 5535
Instagram: @cyra_restaurant | Facebook: @Cyrarestaurantsa
Chef Candice Philip’s Signature Quiet
With over 23 years in fine dining, Candice Philip continues to evolve with grace. Her food doesn’t shout for attention; it earns it. Cyra feels like the natural extension of that philosophy, a restaurant that proves quiet brilliance still has the power to move us.
Also read: TLC@KEP Kyalami: Where Good Food, Fresh Air, and Family Time Come Together
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Featured Image: Facebook/Cyra Restaurant
