Little Havana crowned the Wolftrap Steakhouse Champion of 2015

Pete Goffe-Wood (judge), Louise Potgieter and Martin Lombaard (2015 winner Little Havanna), Inge Hoffmann (The Wolftrap)

The regional winners for 2015 are:

• Eastern Cape: The Cricketer, East London
• Gauteng: The Local Grill, Parktown North - 2015 Runner-Up
• KwaZulu Natal: Little Havana, Umhlanga Rocks - 2015 Champion
• Mpumalanga: Pioneers Butcher and Grill, Hazyview
• Western Cape: Theo's Grill, Mouille Point

The 2015 finalists in alphabetical order:

• Cattle Baron, Mossel Bay - Southern Cape
• Cattle Baron, Tableview - Western Cape
• Fahrenheit, Edenvale, Johannesburg - Gauteng - Also a finalist in 2014
• Havana Grill, Durban - KwaZulu-Natal
• Hillside Tavern Grill, Lynnwood, Pretoria - Gauteng
• HQ, Cape Town - Western Cape - Also a finalist in 2014
• Jayz Grill, Pietermaritzburg - KwaZulu-Natal
• Little Havana, Umhlanga Rocks - KwaZulu-Natal - a finalist in 2013, 2015 regional winner and the 2015 champion
• Longhorn Steakhouse, Bloemfontein - Free State
• Milhaus, Kyalami, Johannesburg - Gauteng
• Pioneers Butcher & Grill, Hazyview - Mpumalanga - 2015 regional winner
• Sanook, East London - Eastern Cape
• Texas Grill, George - Southern Cape
• The Bull Run, Sandton, Johannesburg - Gauteng
• The Cricketer, East London - Eastern Cape - 2015 regional winner
• The Godfather, Centurion, Pretoria - Gauteng - Runner-up in 2014
• The Grumpy Griller, George - Southern Cape
• The Local Grill, Parktown North, Johannesburg (North)- Gauteng - Champion in 2013 and 2014, 2015 regional winner and 2015 runner-up
• The Local Grill, Woodstock - Western Cape
• Theo's Grill, Mouille Point - Western Cape - Finalist in 2014 and 2015 regional winner

The judges visited and reviewed all 20 finalists during June and when it came to judging, two of the 20 stood out above the rest. Ultimately it was Little Havana's expertise in all matters meat, consistent service and accurate grilling that makes them South Africa's 2015 Steakhouse Champion, with The Local Grill in Parktown North (2013 and 2014 Champion) the worthy 2015 runner-up.

Runner-up and Gauteng regional awards - The Local Grill Parktown North team

The 2015 Champion was announced on 30 June at an impressive function in Johannesburg, hosted by the 2013 and 2014 Champion, The Local Grill in Parktown North. All 20 finalists were present as well as an excited group of media and friends from the industry. The Local Grill pulled out all the stops at the luncheon, treating the guests to a four-course lunch, served with The Wolftrap wine.

Public voting and expert arbitration

This is how The Wolftrap Steakhouse Championships 2015 worked: during the open round, South Africa voted for its favourite steakhouse and then the top 20 went through to the next round. These 20 were visited, unannounced, by expert judges headed by Pete Goffe-Wood and were assessed according to a strict score sheet.

This makes The Wolftrap Steakhouse Championships a blend of public involvement and expert arbitration and the ultimate winner is therefore not only very good indeed, but also a public favourite. For the winner, the spoils include the ultimate bragging rights of being the champion for a year, and also a full year's supply of The Wolftrap wine.