Read all about it. Here.

If you love dining out in style and fancy sampling the fabulous fare of 18 of Cape Town’s top restaurants, get to Taste of Cape Town from the 2nd to the 5th of April 2009 at the Jan Van Riebeeck Sports Field off Kloofnek Road.  The festival, building on its reputation as the most exciting food and drink event of the year, has yet again rounded up some of the city’s most talented chefs who will personally prepare and serve sample sizes of their signature dishes.

Taste Festivals are an international concept celebrating the best in food and drink a city has to offer. Imagine a selection of the Cape’s finest local produce, (available to be sampled and purchased at the show),a beautiful sun-drenched outdoor venue and the city’s most prestigious restaurants, all enjoyed against a spectacular mountain backdrop complete with live music and entertainment. In addition, some of the world’s premium drink brands will be brought to life at Taste of Cape Town, in tailor-made areas within the festival – chill-out zones that let you escape the hustle and bustle of the show for a while. Visitors will also get to improve their culinary knowledge as the chefs demonstrate and debate a wide range of gourmet trends at the Pick n Pay Fresh Living Chefs Theatre.

Justine Drake, Taste Festival Director, comments, “Sophisticated, fun and utterly delicious, Taste of Cape Town is the city’s sexiest food festival!”

The Pick n Pay Fresh Living Chef’s Theatre: A unique opportunity to see Cape Town’s top chefs showcased and in action on stage, featuring demos, culinary challenges, entertaining tutorials and enlightening Q & A sessions. Also a chance to meet the folk behind the award winning Fresh Living magazine

The “Beer Academy” and “Beer Experience”: The Taste of Cape Town Beer Academy will feature hourly Beer Master classes with food pairing by an internationally renowned brew master.  Following the Academy, the ‘thirstbuds’ can be quenched in the comfortable and stylish surrounds of the outdoor “Beer Experience” area.


The Checkers Wine Route: Back by popular demand, this years Checkers Wine Route Taste Experience is set to rock Cape Town. Clive Torr, along with some of South Africa’s leading wine makers, will be hosting a selection of wines from more than 80 leading wine estates in South Africa. These leading wine experts and connoisseurs will host the Taste of Cape Town’s Wine Route, which will feature a daily programme of wine tastings, tutorials and advice on wine and food pairing.   

Background:
Taste of London was launched by Brand Events in the summer of 2004 and has become the premier restaurant event in the UK and Ireland, with festivals in London, Birmingham, Bath, Dublin and Edinburgh. Taste festivals internationally have been created in such a way that they reflect the spirit and culture of the host city and have been described as “The Chelsea Flower Show of Food”. Their refined mood and painstaking choice of venues lies at the heart of their unique appeal. Taste of Jo'burg was held in September 2007.

Important information:

Participating restaurants:

• Aubergine
• Bouillabaise
• Crčpe Suzette
• Catharina’s at The Steenberg
• Five Flies restaurant & bar
• Il Leone Mastrantonio
• Jardine
• La Colombe
• Le Quartier Francais at the Vineyard
• Bread & Wine at the Vineyard
• Nova
• Overture
• Reubens
• Societi Bistro
• TheShowRoom Cafe
• Terroir
• Wakame
• Wang Thai   

Times:

• Thurs 2nd April 2009: 18h30 - 22h30
• Fri 3rd April 2009: 13h00 - 17h00; 18h30 - 22h30
• Sat 4th April 2009: 13h00 - 17h00; 18h30 - 22h30
• Sun 5th April 2009: 12h00 - 17h00

Tickets:
There are a limited number of tickets available and bookings are advised. Book through Computicket on 083 915 8000 or www.computicket.com. Entrance is free for children under 12.

• R80 Standard – Entrance only
• R170 Premium – Including R100 worth of Taste of Cape Town CROWNS

Taste of Cape Town CROWNS – How they work:
CROWNS, the festival currency, can be bought along with festival tickets beforehand or on the day. Guests can use them to pay for sample dishes from restaurants or drinks from exhibitors and bars. Each Taste of Cape Town CROWN is worth R5 and prices range from 4 to 8 CROWNS per dish. Change is offered in CROWNS only.