Dwindling emotional baggage following the pandemic has brought with it a new appetite for awe-inspiring experiences.
Instead of simply sitting down to a meal at a restaurant, South Africans wanted to be blown away by creative cuisine, the atmosphere and the view.
While cities like Cape Town could rely on breathtaking natural landmarks like Table Mountain, landlocked metros such as Johannesburg had to think outside the box.
It soon became clear that Jozi’s inner-city skyline – said to be one of the top-two most visually-striking in Africa – was just the ingredient to entice diners to the CBD.
It is beautiful and dramatic and offers that all-important “wow” factor.
No longer are areas like Sandton merely thriving business districts – they are where people gather to create unforgettable experiences.
Rooftop-style dining has taken off, with CBD restaurants seizing the opportunity to bring Greater Johannesburg – and even Pretoria – to them.
“Sandton differs from other CBDs in the country because it is modern, upscale and serves as the city’s financial and lifestyle hub,” Radisson Blu Gautrain Hotel marketing manager Sigourney Bruintjies says.
Few establishments have grasped the “all-roads-lead-to-Sandton” concept better than the hotel, which is located a mere 200m from the rail network’s flagship station.
“It’s sleek skyline, luxury shopping, nightlife and mix of international and local dining give it a cosmopolitan edge,” Bruintjies, who has been dealt a winning hand with her hotel positioned at the epicentre of the thriving node’s most sumptuous offerings, points out.
Inner-city dining carries a special place in people’s hearts because it is the only way they can combine enjoying amazing food with the energy and culture of the city.
Bruintjies calls the experience at the hotel’s Central One Restaurant & Bar an “immersive taste of urban life”.
DJs light up the pool deck every Friday night while special events also attract Joburg’s cool set.
However, Bruintjies believes Sandton’s dining scene is equally suited to weekend day-trippers.
Enjoying a delicious meal goes hand in hand with outings to Nelson Mandela Square, Sandton City Shopping Centre and Mushroom Farm Park, among others.
Being a tourist in one’s own city should be celebrated, especially when the Gautrain takes people to exactly where they want to be, she says.
The hotel has also found that occasions traditionally reserved for daytime – elegant baby showers, graduations, gender reveals and the like – are equally at home in the CBD.
So, too, are gatherings of friends who commute from the suburbs to relax on the pool deck after a tough work week.
With many residents living in apartments or complexes where space is limited, dining out or meeting at trendy venues becomes a natural extension of home life, according to Bruintjies.
The city’s strong networking culture also fuels this habit.
“Add to that Joburg’s dynamic energy, love of new experiences and weather that encourages outdoor dining and rooftop gatherings and it’s easy to see why locals prefer being out and about,” she says.
The hotel’s executive chef, Vonique van Zyl, has tailored the weekend menu to suit these trends.
Shishanyama platters and grill specials like high-quality sirloin bring great braai vibes and her heritage platter is exhibit A.
Its beef short ribs, boerewors bites in tomato onion relish and peri-peri chicken wings make it a delight for meat lovers, she says.
And, combining it with sweetcorn roundels and mielie pap croquettes, served with chakalaka on the side, makes it a truly South African dish.
She says a meat board stocked with little lovelies such as sticky pork ribs, boerewors, spicy Cajun chicken wings and succulent beef sirloin slices has the diner smiling at hallo, every time.
“Serve it with French fries, tomato onion relish dip and paprika mayo and you cannot go wrong.”
Van Zyl and her team have also taken traditional weekend takeaway and order-in favourites like pizzas and burgers to new heights.
For example, their aptly-named Gautrain beef burger consists of a 150g BBQ-basted patty set on a sesame brioche topped with bacon, avocado and cheese. It is served with traditional condiments, tangy mayo garnished with homemade onion rings and French fries.
Their spicy chicken pizza is built from the ground up with pomodoro sauce, mixed peppers, caramelised onion and mozzarella.
The chef says it is important to get the balance right between sophisticated meals and comfort food when catering to the different weekend crowds.
Sandton’s spectacular skyline inspires her as much as it does her guests, while she also takes her lead from the City of Gold’s seasons.
“Johannesburg transforms from brown and bare during winter to lush, green and colourful in summer, especially with all the Jacarandas adding that extra pop of purple.”
Comforting soups and hearty dishes like slow-braised lamb shank or deboned oxtail pasta for those chilly evenings are matches made in heaven.
But, when it is steamy outside, fresh and colourful dishes like her mezze plate or grilled beef fillet with a pop of purple beetroot puree and yellow baby carrots dominate.
Bruintjies says more and more people see Sandton as both a lively nighttime destination and a place where they can while away their Saturdays and Sundays with great company and specially-curated foods.
