City diners get a taste of greatness

Annually, the awards, hosted by the global banking and payment services company, recognise the ability of restaurants to perfectly enhance their food with an appropriately matched wine.

The awards ceremony recently took place at the Vineyard Hotel and Spa in Cape Town, with the judging panel consisting of Masterchef South Africa judge, Peter Goffe-Wood; dining guide author JP Rossouw; wine list specialist, Nikki Dumas; executive chef and former Masterchef South Africa, judge Benny Masekwameng; and wine critics Dave Hughes, Fiona McDonald and Christine Rudman.

"This award is a wonderful endorsement for our superbly talented food and beverage team. More so, it gives our loyal patrons and general public another reason to explore the charm of two beautiful eateries in the heart of a revived inner city," says Michael Pownall, GM of Taj Cape Town.

Required to achieve a final score of 90% for The Diamond Award, and 81% to 90% for The Platinum Award, the judging panel's mandate is to identify wine lists that are interesting, varied and original, easy-to-use, informative, accurate and well-matched to the cuisine of the house.

Bombay Brasserie, which offers Indian speciality fine dining in the beautifully restored late 19th century building, features prized gems from estates such as Eagle's Nest, Thelema, Oak Valley, Waterford, Teddy Hall, Rijks, Warwick, Rainbow's End and Bouchard Finlayson. Its casual, all-day-dining counterpart, Mint Restaurant, which features a floor-to-ceiling wine wall, offers a similar lineup.

Pownall adds, "The significance of this endorsement challenges the notion that both locals and overseas visitors can only enjoy Cape Town's charm by dining in conventional hotspots like the Waterfront, Camps Bay or the Winelands - Cape Town's inner city, and more specifically areas like the top-end of St. Georges Mall, Bree Street and Keerom Street are home to some of the continent's very best in wine, dining, fashion and bespoke craftsmanship - thank you, Diners Club."