Taste of Joburg 2013 is better than ever!
I’ve always had mixed feelings about Taste of Joburg.
Pros: You get to taste a wide variety of food and can also pick up some really good bargains. It’s an outdoor event and is a nice way to hang out with friends. I like being able to try food from a restaurant I’ve always been wanting to visit but maybe haven’t gotten down to trying out yet.
Cons: I feel like only the bigger restaurants with larger budgets have a presence there, so you aren’t really getting to taste food from smaller Jozi restaurants. I also find the food expensive. I’ve gotten over the latter though, because ALL market food is expensive. In terms of quality, it varies. Some restaurants produce better fare at Taste of Joburg than what I’ve had in their actual restaurants, some don’t.
But this year, the event is way bigger and better than ever before and I think you’re going to really enjoy it.
Things I noticed that were different and really cool:
1. There’s now live music, with loads more seating
2. The event seems to occupy more space so it’s not as crowded as before
3. There’s a Lindt praline studio so you can see pralines being made from scratch- very cool
4. There’s a “snacky” area called Taste Bites- you can get samoosas, bunny chows and tacos
5. There are lots of freebies- people offering free wine, chocolates etc
6. I particularly enjoyed the wine and burger pairing at the Asara bistro- it was something different and very yummy!
What I didn’t like
1. Snowflake is gone! I used to love their stand, and always made sure to get myself a pancake. Unless I missed it, they didn’t seem to have a presence at all.
2. There are some really random stalls which don’t seem to fit in with Taste of Joburg at all. SA Gold Exchange? Maybe linked to the “Crown” system which is the festival’s currency… but I doubt it.
Here’s the restaurant list.
1. African Pride Melrose Arch Hotel | Executive Chef Hanroe Erasmus |
2. Beefcakes Burger Bar | Executive Chef Wonderful Ndhlovu |
3. Coobs | Chef-Patron James Diack |
4.Gwefey Redefined Asian Cuisine | Head Chef Weiliang Song |
5. La Cucina Di Ciro | Chef-Patron Ciro Molinaro |
6. Lacuna Bistro | Executive Chef Dallas Orr |
7. Prosopa | Chef-Patron Dino Fagas |
8. 3SIXTYº Liquid Lounge | Complex Chef Rylan Ramsamy and Head Chef Vaughan Assam |
9. 2 Thai 4 | Head Chef Oya |
10. Thava Indian Restaurant | Chef-Patron Mathew Abraham Consulting Executive Chef Philippe Frydman |
11. The Grazing Room | Chef-Patron Marthinus Ferreira and Head Chef Damian Pentelow |
12. Vivace Restaurant At The Radisson Blu, Sandton | Senior Sous Chef Jacques Venter |
Visit www.tasteofjoburg.com fore more info and to buy tickets. You can also buy tickets at the door. I was stoked to see a couple of my readers tonight, who attended the Jozilicious Spring Mixer and got double tickets in their goodie bags 🙂
Were you there tonight? Let me know your thoughts.
xxx H
September 27, 2013 @ 8:42 am
Yes, the event looks great, i will be attending tomorrow evening.
September 27, 2013 @ 4:07 pm
I was there also and I’ve attended over the past two years including the taste of Christmas. I really enjoyed the set up of the Jack Daniels bar.. and how they went about their concept of the new Jack Daniels honey and Cola. Soon to be blogged about at http://www.diamondringsandotherthings.blogspot.com . However I was rather disgusted at a lady who wanted to con us out of 3 crowns just for “tasting” the olives and olive oil and balsamic. Absolutely ridiculous! Also always enjoy the Consol mixology class 🙂 cant wait for the taste of Christmas!! I always enjoy it more than the taste of Joburg.
September 27, 2013 @ 8:21 pm
Hi Tanita, I hope you had fun!
Kavita: the Jack Daniels stand did look really cool- as did the consol class! I never know how to book for those things though, they always seem full. I also like taste of Xmas but not the fact that it’s indoors…