@diningcitySA
Cape
Town’s first Restaurant Week, which will run from 22 to 29
September, was launched with a bang at the Mount Nelson Hotel. Restaurateurs, celebrity chefs, food bloggers and the media
shared Pongracz, oysters and macaroons, whilst listening to an
opening address by Mariette du Toit-Helmbold, CEO of Cape Town
Tourism.
“We are the culinary mecca of
Africa,” said Mariette, “and we support projects such as this,
which help us compete with some of the world’s best culinary
destinations.”
As
DiningCity SA, the main sponsor behind the event, also launched its
on-line, real time restaurant review and reservation service,
Mariette emphasized how important it was to be digitally connected.
”Armed with Smart Phones and iPads, today’s travelers are
‘Digital Nomads’”, exploring a hyper-connected world where, “if
we do not get on board, we run the risk of becoming irrelevant and
obsolete.”
Restaurant
Week, an event which has previously only happened in Europe and Asia,
will give diners a chance to enjoy specially created menus at the top
restaurants, for a fixed price that is much lower than the normal
price. The concept is simple:
guests can enjoy a three course lunch or dinner at the top
restaurants for R125 or R200, respectively. Restaurants enjoying a
DiningCity star will cost an extra R50.
Guests
at the launch also saw a
demonstration of how easy it is to book online for restaurant week
with DiningCity’s website www.restaurantweek.co.za. Bookings
are real-time and all last minute spots will be in a news feed on the
site and at www.twitter.com/RSeats
“In
other locations, such as Amsterdam and Singapore, restaurants have
been booked out within the first week that the reservation site was
open,” said Tertius van Oosthuyzen, CEO of DiningCity SA.
Participating restaurants include the Planet Restaurant at the Mount Nelson, The Round House Restaurant, Pigalle, The Duchess of Wisbeach, Roca Restaurant at Dieu Donne Estate and Haute Cabrière, in Franschhoek. A complete list of participating restaurants in the greater Cape Town area can be viewed at www.restaurantweek.co.za.
