Monday 3 November 2014 DINERS CLUB LAUNCHES 2015 RESTAURANT GUIDE SA’s five-star restaurants announced The Rossouw’s by Diners Club South African Restaurant Guide 2015 was launched at the Steyn City Golf Club in Johannesburg today, and 20 restaurants were awarded five-star status. The guide has identified the country’s top establishments – 13 in the Western Cape, six in Gauteng and one in KwaZulu-Natal. JP Rossouw, publisher of Rossouw’s by Diners Club South African Restaurant Guide 2015, says the guide has been introduced under the stewardship of Diners Club. “Diners Club has restaurants in its DNA,” he says, “and I’m really happy with this alignment.” Fans of the guide will see it now has a new format, to echo its new status as a sister title to the popular Platter’s by Diners Club South African Wine Guide 2015, but Rossouw’s by Diners Club South African Restaurant Guide 2015 keeps to its tradition of rating ‘like with like’ when it comes to restaurants. Therefore casual places are compared with other casual places, and not with finer dining establishments. There are four categories: luxury, smart casual, casual and ‘on the edge’. Commenting on the tough rating system, Rossouw adds, “Rossouw’s by Diners Club South African Restaurant Guide 2015 remains the guide that truly ‘tells it like it is’, as reviewers visit every restaurant anonymously and pay for the meal, for ultimate independence and integrity. We review restaurants according to their type – casual to casual, upmarket to upmarket – in order to be fair to the establishments. Achieving five stars in the guide is a real feat – only 20 awards have been given, out of more than 300 restaurants reviewed.” Anna Trapido, renowned food critic and editor of Rossouw’s by Diners Club South African Restaurant Guide 2015, believes the guide reflects South Africa’s dynamic and diverse culinary culture. “We are increasingly enjoying flavour repertoires that reflect our glorious terroir,” she says. “We are blessed with a great mix of iconic chefs of long standing, and superb young talent. Our award winners reflect this deliciously inviting combination.” The Rossouw’s by Diners Club South African Restaurant Guide 2015 recognised a number of chefs during the launch event, with the following special awards being presented: The Consistent Culinary Artistry Award For a senior chef in order to recognise a long track record of abiding epicurean excellence: Jean Mauvis at Ile Maurice, Umhlanga Unsung Culinary Excellence Award For a long-serving, seldom recognised but skilled and creative stalwart of a kitchen brigade: Leah Tsonye at The Leopard, Johannesburg The Most Promising Young Chef Award Lehlohonolo Mogadime at Indochine, Stellenbosch The Superior Service Award Abou Bakar Fofana at La Madeleine, Pretoria Culinary Patriotism Award Jeera Restaurant at Suncoast Towers Hotel in Durban, for having the courage to take Durban Indian Diaspora flavours out of the ghetto and into the posh-nosh mainstream In Memoriam In Memory of Chef Lunga Maqwelane of the Savoy Cabbage, Cape Town, who was gunned down in January 2014 as he left his child’s crèche, to go to work The five-star winners are: Western Cape • Aubergine, Cape Town (Luxury) • Bread & Wine, Franschhoek (Casual) • Carne SA, Cape Town (Smart Casual) • Chefs Warehouse & Canteen, Cape Town (Casual) • The Greenhouse, Constantia (Luxury) • Île de Païn, Knysna (Casual) • Jordan Restaurant, Stellenbosch (Smart Casual) • Kyoto Garden Sushi, Tamboerskloof (Smart Casual) • Overture, Stellenbosch (Smart Casual) • The Pot Luck Club, Woodstock (Smart Casual) • The Restaurant at Waterkloof, Somerset West (Smart Casual) • Terroir, Stellenbosch (Smart Casual) • The Test Kitchen, Woodstock (Smart Casual) Gauteng • five hundred, Sandhurst (Luxury) • Japa, Rivonia (Casual) • The Local Grill, Parktown North (Smart Casual) • Restaurant Mosaic, Elandsfontein, Pretoria (Luxury) • Qunu Grill, Sandhurst (Luxury) • Ritrovo, Waterkloof Heights, Pretoria (Smart Casual) KwaZulu-Natal • The Snack Bar at Spice Emporium, Durban (On the Edge) ENDS Notes to editors Rossouw’s by Diners Club South African Restaurant Guide 2015 Owned by Diners Club South Africa, the Rossouw’s by Diners Club South African Restaurant Guide 2015 is a comprehensive, up-to-date and authoritative guide to restaurants around South Africa. Featuring over 300 restaurants across all genres, the guide offers a selection of quality establishments that have each been reviewed by a select panel of critics. About Diners Club South Africa Diners Club South Africa is recognised as one of the top franchises in the world, wholly owned by Standard Bank. Diners Club International is owned by Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS), a direct banking and payment services company with one of the most recognised brands in US financial services. Established in 1950, Diners Club International became the first multipurpose charge card in the world, launching a financial revolution in how consumers and companies pay for products and services. Today, Diners Club is a globally recognised brand serving the payment needs of select and affluent consumers, offering access to nearly 500 airport lounges worldwide, and providing corporations and small business owners with a complete array of expense management solutions. Diners Club cards are accepted in more than 185 countries and territories at millions of merchant locations, and offer access to more than 1 million cash access locations and ATMs. Diners Club is uniquely qualified to serve its card members all over the world. For more information, visit www.dinersclub.co.za. Issued by African Sky Communications On behalf of Diners Club South Africa For further information contact Kim Shaw: 011 486 2489; [email protected]
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