The crème de la crème of South African restaurateurs gathered in the Winelands for the inaugural Rossouw's Restaurants Awards held at Rust & Vrede Restaurant on 4 May.

At this landmark event, the rare Three Star certificate was awarded to 13 restaurants — only 13 out of the 500 rated for the 2009 Rossouw's Restaurants guide.

The awards ceremony simultaneously welcomed Rust & Vrede as a newcomer to the StreetSmart SA fold — a charity organisation dedicated towards helping street children in the Western Cape through donations from participating restaurants.

Funds are raised by adding an optional R5 donation to each table's bill at participating restaurants. In support of this cause, the 2009 Rossouw's Restaurant Guide features the StreetSmart logo with every listing of participating restaurants.

Now in its sixth year, Rossouw's Restaurants is the leading independent guide to dining in South Africa. Since its inception as a Cape-only guide, rating 240 establishments, it has grown to cover 500 restaurants in the Cape, Winelands, Garden Route and Gauteng. Rossouw’s Restaurants reviews all establishments anonymously and rigorously and pays the bills, for an authentic opinion on quality.

"What sets this guide apart is that restaurants are rated within their price category, so that 'apples are compared with apples'. The result is that the highest accolade of three stars can be awarded to establishments that may not be 'fine dining', but are outstanding in their class.

"The guide also features helpful lists, such as 'business' and 'vegetarian-friendly' making it the most useful pocket companion to eating out," says Editor Jean-Pierre Rossouw.

Attended by the chefs and owners of a diverse selection of excellent restaurants, the stylish Rossouw's Restaurants Awards ceremony included an unsurpassed four-course gourmet feast.

Prepared by culinary genius and renowned Rust & Vrede chef, David Higgs, each of the celebratory courses was paired with a highly-awarded wine from a prominent estate, including Rust en Vrede, Ken Forrester, Paul Cluver and Beaumont.

The winners

The 13 three star winners are (in alphabetical order): Aubergine (Cape Town); Bosman’s at Grande Roche (Paarl); Butcher Shop and Grill (Sandton); Ile de Païn (Knysna); Jardine (Cape Town); La Colombe (Constantia); Magica Roma (Pinelands); Mariana's (Stanford); The Tasting Room (Franschhoek); Thomas Maxwell Bistro (Sandton); Ritrovo (Pretoria); Rust en Vrede (Stellenbosch); Zachary’s (Knysna).

For comment and more information on the Rossouw's Restaurant Awards contact Jean-Pierre Rossouw at editor@rossouwsrestaurants.com or on cell: +27 83 383 0555. For a fascinating account of dining out, updated daily, visit www.rossouwsrestaurants.com.