By lalakoi
LOCAL FINE DINING AWARD WINNERS
Southern Cape award winners at the 2010 American Express Platinum Fine Dining Award Ceremony at the One and Only Hotel in the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town on Monday 28 September. From left: Pamela White (Amex Merchants), Leon Coetzee (GM Stonehill Restaurant), Allan Robertson (owner Stonehill Restaurant, Klein Brak River), Victor Strugo (selector and well-known food critic), Lizelle and Rudolf Stolze (owners Serendipity in Wilderness), Lannice Snyman (judge and award-winning culinary expert and author), Peter Vadas (Pembreys in Knysna) and Vanessa Singh, Head of Card Marketing for American Express. (PHOTO: DENISE LLOYD)
La Laconda, Italian Restaurant received its first American Express Fine Dining award
La Locanda, the delightful Italian restaurant at the top of York Street in
George is one of the 13 new restaurants country wide to join the ranks of
the American Express Platinum Fine Dining Programme. The restaurant received its first Platinum Award at the Award Ceremony held at the One and Only Hotel in Cape Town on Monday 28 September.
Serendipity ( Wilderness) and Pembrys (Knysna) also received their awards
Rudolf and Lizelle Stolze from Serendipity in Wilderness and Peter Vadas
from Pembreys in Knysna were present at the ceremony to receive their
awards.
Stonehill Restaurant from Klein Brak River received their third consecutive award
Stonehill Restaurant in Klein Brak River is the only Mossel Bay restaurant
to received this award. This was their third consecutive award and
especially a feather in their cap seeing that the restaurant has been under
renovation and construction for the past few months.
Stonehill Restaurant and Cool Bay Wines will reopen on 17 October 2009 with new cellar and tasting facilities
According to owner Allan Robertson Stonehill Restaurant and Cool Bay Wines
will reopen to the public on Saturday 17 October. The brand new cellar and
tasting facility, the brainchild of Boplaas’ Carel Nel, will be open daily
for tasting and the selling of wine.
Plettenberg Bay award winners were Hunters Country House and Sand at the Plettenberg
“We will be bringing the winelands experience to the coast” Allan said.
Jemima’s in Oudtshoorn is the only Klein Karoo restaurant to win and the
Plettenberg Bay restaurants to be honoured are: Hunters Country House
Restaurant and Sand at the Plettenberg
American Express Platinum Fine Dining Awards are a sure source of motivation
Victor Strugo, selector for the American Express Platinum Fine Dining
Programme since its inception in 1998 and a well-known food critic who
reviews restaurants for a number of publications, believes that the renewal
of 72 awards bears testimony to the fact that restaurants are continuously
ensuring that quality is foremost in their menus and the that the standards
set by the .
Although belts have been tightened, quality prevails as consumers with an appreciation of fine dining continue to satisfy their discern palate
Vanessa Singh, Head of Card Marketing for American Express, said that
although belts have been tightened, quality prevails as consumers with an
appreciation of fine dining continue to satisfy their discern palate. “It is
pleasing to see that independently owned restaurants with innovative,
individualistic and superior quality menus are winning the approval of food
lovers across South Africa” she added.
Strugo said that the renewal of 72 awards country wide bears testimony to
the fact that restaurants are continuously ensuring that quality is foremost
in their menus and the standards set by the American Express Platinum Fine
Dining Awards are a sure source of motivation.
