Abigail Donnelly chats Eat Out Awards

Bigger and better. What can attendees of this year's Eat Out Awards expect when it comes to décor, food and entertainment?

It's going to be something very special. This year, guests will be treated to a five-course meal prepared by six of South Africa's top chefs, each course paired with quality drinks. We like to think of it as the biggest chefs' table SA has ever seen. The event is also going to be amazing just in terms of scale - it will be the biggest we've ever done, hosted in a suitably spectacular, enormous venue: Thunder City, an airport hangar at the Cape Town International Airport. As for entertainment, apart from the excitement of the night and the revelation of the winners, the ceremony will be followed by a great after party in the company of DJ René and bar services by Café Caprice, Cape Town's hottest Sunday-night bar.

How have you seen the awards grow and evolve over the years?

This is my ninth year with Eat Out and it's been quite astonishing to see an awards ceremony grow not only in terms of numbers, but also with a growing range of awards - which really serve to uplift the culinary industry in SA.

It's great to see the awards adding some newcomers to the nominees list; how do you feel being nominated or winning an Eat Out Award helps up-and-coming restaurants or chefs?

Eat Out helps build a healthy and unique, demanding and sustainable food culture in SA. We reward achievement and celebrate commitment to excellence. In doing so we believe that the awards create a platform for local restaurants to shine, receive recognition and grow.

What do you think makes a great restaurant?

A spectacular restaurant is one in which the diner encounters, consciously and subconsciously, a revelatory experience triggered by flavour. The latter element certainly plays the biggest role in any dining experience. The success of a stand-out restaurant relies on a combination of teamwork, energy and talent and the chefs who shine are the ones that are never complacent.

What are the criteria when it comes to selecting and judging the Eat Out Award restaurant nominees?

To be considered, we look at quite a few criteria. Firstly, the chef must have been at that establishment since November the previous year. We are looking for people with an absolute passion for the business, who are committed to the upliftment of the industry. They should care about where their produce comes from, and consistency and excellence must shine through every element of the business. As for the judging process, when the judges dine at the candidates they score the restaurant on not only the quality of the food, but also the service and the ambience.

What are some of the foodie trends that you are seeing this year?

Looking back at the food this year, one theme that springs to mind is an approach of daring and playful simplicity. Individual ingredients are allowed to shine. Also, we've seen that chefs are, more and more, celebrating South African cuisine not only through the use of uniquely local ingredients, but as a form of South African storytelling.

Can you share a best food memory with us?

A recent highlight was something I ate on a trip to Bangkok - it was a dish called Som Tum, made by a local street vendor there, and it is my favourite salad. It was bursting with vibrant and crisp flavours of green paw paw, dried prawns, chilli and palm sugar. Served, as is traditional, in a plastic bag, it was fantastic!

If you could only eat one more dish for the rest of your life, what would it be?

Hot lamb curry, on the bone, served with buttery roti.

Tickets for the 2014 Eat Out Mercedes-Benz Restaurant Awards are available via Webtickets. For enquiries contact Julie Potgieter at az.oc.stneveaidemwen@eiluj.

Follow @Eat_Out on Twitter to join the conversation and to see live updates on the night and like the Eat Out Facebook page. The Eat Out magazine 2015 will launch on the night of the Eat Out Mercedes-Benz Restaurant Awards and will be available at selected Woolworths, Exclusive Books, Pick n Pay, Spar and CNA stores.

www.eatout.co.za/awards