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12 years of eating out info
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November 27, 2009
By Anne Stevens
THE 24th issue of The Mercury's guide to the restaurants of KwaZulu-Natal will be published next Friday, December 4.
Which means we have been keeping readers updated with all the necessary eating out information for 12 years now.
And 2010 will be a special celebration, with the guide coming out earlier in the first half of the year, bigger and, hopefully, better than ever.
Putting this issue together has been a sobering experience. Many venues have been victims of the tough economic climate, but with the first signs of a financial upswing there will no doubt be a new array to welcome visitors to the World Cup host country.
A sad demise has been Umami at Salt Rock (not for financial reasons), which has closed its doors. One of my top 10 restaurants since its opening, it will be missed.
But it has meant some movement among my personal picks.
The guide, sponsored as usual by Durban Africa and KZN Tourism, provides all the information you need to make a restaurant booking, from phone numbers and opening hours to corkage charges and price ranges.
It comes free with your Mercury next Friday, so don't miss it.
Meanwhile, the new food market at the Hellenic Centre in Durban North has been nominated in the "outstanding market outlet" category of the 2010 Eat In South African Produce Awards.
Winners will be announced in March.
Hats off to the market team of Nick Papadopoulos, Eric Edwards, Emma Dunk and Karen Brokensha, for making their mark so soon.
And talking of achievements, Remo's top barista, Edward Khumalo, was one of 10 South Africans recently invited by coffee house Lavazza to visit its factory in Torino in Italy.
The co-owner of the Mount Edgecombe venue, Renzo Scribante, was there to share the experience, which Edward describes as "totally awesome".
"This was not only my first trip out of my homeland, but also my first airplane jaunt.
"Apart from the amazing experience of seeing a new country and meeting so many interesting people from all over the world, I learned so much more about coffee," he said.
Remo's is in the throes of adding a coffee bar to the restaurant, adjoining the bakery.
Finally, note that on December 16, the Beverly Hills Hotel in Umhlanga will be celebrating its 45th birthday.
Sol Kerzner's first hotel, named after his daughter, it was the first five-star venue in the country and five of the original staff are still in its employ.
The hotel is offering some special deals until December 18 to mark the birthday, including cake and tea or coffee in the lounge or a mezze platter in Elements for R45, and a three-course meal set menu in The Sugar Club for R450 a head.
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