Ultra-wealthy shell out big bucks to see in the new year
Decadence will be the order of the day for affluent South Africans to ring in the new year as they will be forking out up to R6,000 for a seat at a New Year’s Eve table at some of the country’s most opulent eateries.
Only the finest cuisine will be served from menus featuring foie gras, shucked oysters, wagyu beef, scallops, prawn towers, loaded lobster tails, venison pâté and delectable desserts.
A table for four at the five-star One&Only Cape Town goes for R24,000. In comparison, a basic monthly food basket for four costs about R3,700, according to the latest household affordability index.
One&Only spokesperson Michelle Monk says while tough economic conditions could affect extravagant New Year’s Eve celebrations, “we do not expect it to affect our festive dinners”. The hotel’s New Year’s Eve events are sold out, she says.
“We have several live performances and various dining options for the evening. For the rest, you’ll have to wait and see.”
The swanky Nobu restaurant at the One&Only is charging R6,000 a person for dinner and entrance to a New Year’s Eve party at the Vista Bar & Lounge.
The menu includes Japanese seafood speciality toro tataki with caviar, gold leaf and coriander dressing; grilled langoustine; chargrilled Australian wagyu beef; wild mushroom and truffle teriyaki; and buttermilk panna cotta.
A seat at the One&Only’s Ochre restaurant, which includes dinner and entry to the New Year’s Eve party, costs R4,000. On the menu are salt cod mousse, seared scallops and green shoots, langoustine, parma ham, beef fillet and Norwegian salmon.
At the Westcliff Hotel in Johannesburg manager Willem du Toit says its New Year’s celebration, at R2,990 a person, will encapsulate the spirit of tradition with a “uniquely South African twist”.
The menu for the gala buffet dinner and dance will feature Nelson Mandela Bay oysters, springbok pâté on puff pastry, Galician-style octopus, foie gras torchon, suckling pig, Peking duck and a chilled prawn tower. The traditional braai will be given an upmarket twist, with Norwegian salmon, loaded lobster tails and Mozambican prawns.
Dessert decadence will be taken to new heights with a chocolate fountain, a live candyfloss station, a
crêpe bar, and a soft-serve ice-cream facility.
The hotel also has a sumptuous New Year’s Day buffet planned for tomorrow. “This year, our New Year’s Day brunch is an all-day affair. Guests will enjoy the scrumptious buffet, beautiful views and jazzy vibes. In addition, given that the seating options extend for more than eight hours, we anticipate several full seatings of about 100 guests at a time.
“For most other dinners and lunches, we have a soft capacity limit of 100 to ensure a good guest experience,” says Du Toit.
At The Oyster Box hotel in Umhlanga Rocks, New Year’s Eve guests will be transported to Greece, with a menu featuring traditional food, at a cost of R2,900 a person at the Ocean Terrace and R3,200 a head at the Grill Room where a “symphony of squid”, meze sharing platters, koftas, prawns, grilled sea bass, roasted crispy pork belly and grilled lamb loin chops will be served.
The dessert trolley will feature pistachio and chocolate baklava, sweet cheese pastries, olive oil brownies and chocolate pistachio halva.
Cape Town’s Twelve Apostles Hotel will be hosting a “Red Carpet Bollywood” party. Guests will be expected to adorn themselves in “glamorous Easterninspired evening wear”. Those dining at the hotel’s Azure restaurant will pay R4,200 a person, while the Atlantic marquee will cost R3,800 a head.
The menu consists of five courses with Indian dishes such as crayfish curry, Chettinad free-range chicken, lamb rack burra kebab, jasmine pilaf rice, and paneer and saffron mousse. The dessert offerings range from cardamom doughnuts and coconut panna cotta to rose mousse and pistachio crumble.