In true fine dining style, the Cape Town leg of the soirée was held at Cavalli Wine & Stud Farm in the Cape Winelands, an establishment that continues to provide exquisite culinary pleasures and experiences. The Johannesburg event was held on 8 September at Thava Indian Restaurant.
‘The Awards continue to reflect the country’s rising culinary spirit and serve as a catalyst in championing the enhancement of the fine dining industry and experience in South Africa. As the exclusive issuer of American Express® in South Africa, we are honoured to be associated with this initiative as it not only celebrates South African restaurateurs but also promotes fine dining,’ said Pamela White: Head: Corporate Card Services at Nedbank.
The American Express® Platinum Fine Dining Awards continue to pay tribute to the country’s restaurants that consistently achieve excellence, creativity and providing an undeniably exquisite culinary experience.
This year saw Tamsin Snyman, author, publisher and Academy Chair for the region African & the Indian Ocean Islands for The World’s 50 Best Restaurant Awards at the helm of the American Express® Platinum Fine Dining judging panel, having been handed the baton by long-time restaurant critic Victor Strugo who held this position since the inception of the awards.
‘The 2015 list of restaurants has stabilised considerably after the restaurant industry saw a lot of movement within the top echelon of restaurants in South Africa. This has persuaded us to revisit our judging criterion, which has been in place since inception. As such we worked carefully as a team to ensure the best quality restaurants are selected,’ said Snyman.
Snyman explains that an additional condition for restaurants to be selected for these awards was the acceptance of the American Express® Card and their commitment to honouring one dinner reservation (for up to 4 people) by a Platinum Card member who books within four days of the desired dining date.
‘Despite the volatile and challenging economic conditions, we are encouraged to see that the fine dining industry remains strong, with 89 top restaurants continuing to deliver distinctive experiences for the prevailing palate of the discerning diners. It is against this backdrop that Nedbank and American Express® continue to celebrate restaurateurs that pride themselves in offering memorable experiences for diners,’ concludes White.
2015 AMERICAN EXPRESS® PLATINUM FINE DINING AWARDS WINNERS:
• 5 restaurants received their 1st American Express® Platinum Fine Dining Awards:
95 Keerom (Cape Town)
Delaire Graff Restaurant (Stellenbosch)
Kitima (Hout Bay)
Makaron (Stellenbosch)
The Leopard (Johannesburg)
• 5 restaurants reached the prestigious milestone of their 10th American Express® Platinum Fine Dining Awards:
De Oude Kraal (Bloemfontein)
The Greenhouse (Constantia)
Hartford House (Mooi River)
La Pentola (Pretoria)
The Tasting Room at Le Quartier Français (Franschhoek)
• The regional spread of the full 89 Awards is:
Johannesburg – 27
Cape Peninsula – 17
Cape Winelands – 16
KwaZulu-Natal – 8
Garden Route – 6
Pretoria – 6
North West – 4
Free State – 2
Klein Karoo – 1
Eastern Cape – 1
Mpumalanga – 1
The full list of 2015 Award winners:
Johannesburg:
Balata, Bellagio, Bellgables, BiCE, Butcher Shop & Grill, Café del Sol, dw eleven-13, Five Hundred, iL Tartufo, Jazz Maniacs, La Campagnola, La Cucina di Ciro, La Scala, Le Soufflé, Mastrantonio, Neh!, Osteria Tre Nonni, Red Chamber, Roots, Sel et Poivre, Signature, Sophia’s Bistro, Thava, The Leopard, Wangthai, Wombles, Yamato.
Cape Peninsula:
Aubergine, Azure, Bistro Sixteen82, Bistrot Bizerca, Buitenverwachting, Catharina’s, The Foodbarn, GOLD Restaurant, The Greenhouse, Haiku; il Leone, Kitima, Myoga, Nobu, Planet Restaurant, Signal
Cape Winelands:
96 Winery Road, Bosman’s, Bread & Wine, De Grendel, Delaire Graff Restaurant, Fraai Uitzicht 1798, Grande Provence, Makaron, Mimosa Lodge, Overture, The Pavilion, Pierneef at La Motte, Reuben’s (Franschhoek), Rust en Vrede, The Tasting Room at Le Quartier Français, Waterkloof
KwaZulu-Natal:
Cleopatra Mountain Farmhouse, Hartford House, Harvey’s, Ile Maurice, 9th Avenue Bistro, Roma Revolving Restaurant, Spice, Sugar Club
Garden Route:
La Locanda (George), Zinzi (Plettenberg Bay), Serendipity (Wilderness), Transkaroo (Great Brak), Pembreys (Knysna), The Orchid Room (Knysna)
Pretoria:
La Madeleine, Brasserie de Paris, La Pentola, Mosaic, Ritrovo Ristorante, Zemara
North West:
De Hoek (Magaliesberg), Rambling Vine (Magaliesburg); Silver Orange (Hartbeespoort), Stef’s Kitchen (Hartbeespoort)
Free State:
De Oude Kraal, Seven on Kellner
Eastern Cape:
Hacklewood Hill (Port Elizabeth)
Klein Karoo:
Su Casa (Oudtshoorn)
Mpumalanga:
Zest (Nelspruit)