The Pick n Pay Taste of Durban is back from Friday 25 to Sunday 27 July at Suncoast Casino & Entertainment World (Suncoast). Chefs from nine of Durban’s top restaurants will create special menus of starter-sized dishes, including their signature dishes, designed to reflect their individual philosophies, whilst showcasing seasonal and premium ingredients. Taste of Durban 2014 promises to be the most exciting ‘foodie’ event of the year.
Win 1 of 5 Double Tickets
Comment on this post and tell us what you are looking forward to the most! See all the competition details below.
Marcelle Roberts from Café 1999 is back for the third-year running with her inimitable brand of casual cuisine. Louise Potgieter from Havana Grill at Suncoast and Themba Mngoma from Little Havana. Newcomer Nardia Adams, from Asian Tapas spot Greedy Buddha, will be cooking up a storm on the grill with Lucy Markewicz flying the colours for Freedom Café. Popular Indian restaurant Amaravathi Palki, Market, Beluga Durban, Vigour & Verve and exciting new addition to the line-up this year, The Durban eKasi Experience, brings the total of participating restaurants to nine.
Over three days, this unique international restaurant festival will bring together Durban’s most dedicated and sophisticated foodies in an
al fresco, dining celebration. Visitors will have the opportunity to sip, sample and shop their way around the festival. This year’s show offers a range of brand new features and culinary experiences, to ensure that there is something for everybody to enjoy.
‘Must-do’s’ at Taste of Durban
Pick n Pay Fresh Living Chef’s Theatre
Top chefs showcase their culinary skills in fun and informative cooking demonstrations, culinary challenges and entertaining Q & A sessions.
The Pick n Pay Wine and Canapé Experience
An interactive area where guests will learn how to create simple, stylish and delicious canapés, while being instructed by wine experts on how to pair each canapé with a wide range of wines to complement the balance of flavours.
The LINDT Master Chocolatiers
…will be hand making delicious LINDOR truffles and fresh pralines, as well as selling their delectable EXCELLENCE and CREATION slabs and a variety of LINDOR balls. Come and enjoy the finest LINDT chocolate that melts in your mouth and gently caresses all your senses.
Castle Milk Stout Experience
Castle Milk Stout will bring a taste experience to be savoured to Taste of Durban 2014. Chill out in the marquee and lounge area, complete with the ambient sounds and a tasting experience that shows the full credentials of the full and complex flavours of Milk Stout and its pairing with food.
Robertson’s Butcher’s Block in association with Big Green Egg
A gastro theatre dedicated to all things meaty. Chef Craig Elliot and Celebrity Butcher Caroline McAnn will collaborate with local butchers to harness Robertsons 90 years of sourcing and blending spices. Your braai will never be the same again as you create a Robertsons Combination that comes alive in these versatile rubs. All dishes will be prepared in The Big Green Egg, which rethinks the South African braai, uses the ancient clay cooking technique ‘Kamado’. Featuring in the Butcher’s Block is Certified Karoo Meat of Origin- mutton and lamb which is guaranteed to be free range, fully traceable from the Karoo region, free from added hormones and routine antibiotics
BP Wild Bean Café
Two millions cups of Wild Bean Café coffee are sold and enjoyed every year. BP Wild Bean Cafés use only 100% top-quality Arabic beans – sourced from Tanzania, Gautemala, El Salvador and Brazil – offering the best combination of sweetness, acidity and bitterness. At Taste of Durban, our Wild Bean Café Baristas will hand-make your favourite coffee, latte or hot chocolate to perk you up and keep you going!
The CTA Benefit Stage
The social responsibility initiative, Cape Town Angels, has teamed up with the organisers of Taste Festivals South Africa to bring a coast-to-coast charity challenge to Durbanites. They will host the all-new Call to Action (CTA) Benefit Stage, where a line-up of local artists will entertain by donating their time and talent as an act of active volunteerism. In doing so, they will call foodies to do the same by challenging them to support local charities showcased at the event with their own time and talent donations. One such organisation will be the KZN Branch of ASSITEJ SA, a NPO aimed at transforming society through children’s theatre and so “changing the world one child at a time”
Besides the amazing range of restaurants, suppliers from around the country are pulling out all the stops to make this show a feast for every visitor. Black Mamba Chili will have their fiery gourmet chili product range on offer, while visitors looking for something sweet will love crowd favourite’s Kupcake Heaven and the amazing creations from CakeLab. Meat lovers can look forward to a range of delicious cured meats from father and son team Col’tempo Salumeria.
Bringing a taste of the Cape to our sub-tropical shores, some of the country’s best wineries will showcase their award-winning wines – Idiom Wines, Hermanuspietersfontein, Orange River Estate, Thelema Mountain Vineyards, Waterford Wine Estate, Welgemeend Wine Estate, Wildekrans Wine Estate and Stellenbosch Vineyards.
Visitors will be spoilt for choice with the delicious range of frozen, authentic ready-made drinks from Original Iced Cocktails. An essential stop for all Whisky “fundi’s” is the Aficionados stand, to sample the critically acclaimed Balblair and Kavalan single malt whiskies.
Taste of Durban Festival SCOINS
The South African Gold Coin Exchange is the official sponsor of the festival currency, Scoins. Scoins can be purchased at the festival from the Taste Bank or Scoin Sellers walking around the festival grounds. Visitors use Scoins to purchase sample dishes and drinks from the various exhibiting restaurants, bars and exhibitors. Each Scoin is worth R5. Change is offered in Scoins only.
To book tickets: Visit ITickets on www.itickets.co.za or Pick n Pay tickets on www.pnptickets.co.za
Win Double Tickets to Taste of Durban 2014
Use the comment section below to tell us which restaurants and/or activities you are looking forward to the most!
For an additional entry, you can also tweet the following:
Hey @FoodBlogDBN, I’d love to win tickets to @TasteofDurban! http://www.food-blog.co.za/durban/taste-of-durban-2014/
We will announce the winners on Facebook, so please like our page to get all the updates!
Like us on Facebook
The competition ends on Sunday, the 20th of July while the winners will be announced on Monday, the 21st of July. All winners are final. Please only enter if you are able to attend the festival in Durban, South Africa.
/p∓
Robertson’s Butcher’s Block is what I’d love to indulge in!!!
And of course LINDT Chocolate! What woman doesn’t?????????
…much fun was had last year ! Follows then that this will be no less ~ especially if our chefs dabble n indulge the “banters”?
Looking forward to pick n pays fresh living chef’s kitchen – and tastes of durb’s fine establishments
Definitely looking forward to lindt chocolatiers and chefs showing off their skills. Cant wait.
I’m looking forward to the Pick n Pay Fresh Living Chef’s Theatre, The LINDT Master Chocolatiers and the food at Amaravathi Palki.
I absolutely love to cook, I’ve never been to this before. I would love to see how the top chefs do there thing. I would look forward to everything!
would love to go
WOULD LOVE TO GO AGAIN THIS YEAR. RESTAURANTS CHOICES ARE CAFE 1999 AND BELUGA DURBAN. LOOKING FORWARD TO THE PICK N PAY WINE AND CANAPE EXPERIENCE LOVED TAKING PART IN IT WITH MY 5 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER LAST YEAR!! AND OF COURSE THE LINDT MASTER CHOCOLATIERS CHOICES WERE UNBELIEVABLE!!
I’m excited to learn more about all of the restaurants especially by watching the chefs in the Pick n Pay Fresh Living Chef’s Theatre =)
i cant wait for the canape experience, as my boyfriend is entering new chef of the year competition at hilton dbn, and his entry is going to be canapes! Hoping to win tickets to go!
I’m looking forward to sampling from LINDT Master Chocolatiers. I simply LOVE chocolate. Its definitely my best friend. I have been told I have been missing out on some really good food, this should be a perfect opportunity for me to experience this with my husband, as we are a newly married couple. It will be a learning experience for both of us regarding wines and which one to pair with our meals, will be an added bonus, as I recently started tasting wine!
Looking forward to thr food from beluga, havanna grill as well as the canape and wjne experience
Definately looking forward to the Pick n Pay Fresh Living Chef’s Theatre, The LINDT Master Chocolatiers and the food at Amaravathi Palki. and well off course me being there and tasting all the yummy food!
Waiting for LINDT Master Chocolatiers and need to find a store that can sell me dessert wine 🙂
EVERYTHING!!!! ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING <3
I would really love to experience a taste of the cape with the wine tastings and also pairing wines with canapes! that is just up my alley;) I love how a wine can compliment a food and vice versa! Would be an awesome experience to win tickets for! What a combination good food, good wine and great demonstrations.. I would totally have to over indulge for certain 🙂 🙂 🙂
I’ve never been before but would love to go this year i heard so much great things about it 🙂
Im so excited about the LINDT Master Chocolatiers and Beluga which is my favorite restaurant !
watching cooking demos, eating, drinking wine, having fun with my friends… YES that sounds like a fantastic day 🙂
i am excited and cant wait to see Café 1999 and Lindt Chocolate! will be really happy if i could win!
I am looking forward to The Pick n Pay Wine and Canapé Experience
I am looking forward to the Pick n Pay Fresh Living Chef’s Theatre
my dream is to experience the new combinations of flavours with both Lindt chocolate and Butcher’s Block. a rainbow sensation in my mouth.
So much to look forward to! I am most excited about seeing Durban favourites Market and Freedom Cafe’s offerings. And then I also can’t wait to see what Castle Milk Stout will bring to the party!
Can’t wait to see what Beluga has on offer. I’m also very keen to see if I can handle the Black Mamba Chili experience :). Really exciting event!
Am definitely looking forward to the canapé experience and will hopefully get to indulge my senses with all the fab food stores and exhibits <3 especially the mouth-watering delectable creaminess of the lindt studio!
I’m a chocolte lover so definitely stoked to see The LINDT Master Chocolatiers!!
I’m a chocolate lover so definitely stoked to see The LINDT Master Chocolatiers!!
Im looking forward to the LINT master Chocolatiers, and all food especially café 1999.
I am looking forward to trying out food from the greedy buddha and watching some music at the CTA Benefit stage!
I’d love to experience Lindt Chocolatiers! Heavenly 🙂
We have to choose? eeek!! That makes it difficult, but I think I am most excited about Newcomer Nardia Adams, from Asian Tapas spot Greedy Buddha – I have never really been talented or adventurous with asian cooking and look forward to some tips and techniques to get me on my way #masterchefstyle
I,m looking forward to visiting the Pick n Pay Fresh Living Chef’s Theatre and the Lindt Master Chocolatiers and everything else too.
I am looking forward to this taste festival to taste as many of the fabulous offerings … but mostly, i am looking forward to the Lindt Chocolate mmmmmmmmm……
I have never been to the taste of durban before, I have always wanted to go but seemed to miss the opportunity. I look forward to everything there is to offer and experience this whole show.
looking forward to lindt chocolatiers , chefs and just generally the great atmosphere
LOVE TO SEE AND MEET THE CHEFS THAT COOKS THE DEVINE MEALS AT HAVANNA GRILL.
I am looking forward to tasting dim sum Beluga and experiencing as much of The Taste of Durban as possible. Even though the taste of shisanyama is familiar it never gets old.
nothing says love like LINDT Chocolate. i would love to experience this with my fiance’
I would love to attend the taste of durban for the food. doesnt matter who cooked it or what restuarant its from i just want the food! all the food
I’m looking forward to the Pick n Pay Fresh Living Chef’s Theatre, The LINDT Master Chocolatiers and the food at Amaravathi Palki.
Highlights would definitely be the Pick n Pay Fresh Living Chef’s Theatre, The LINDT Master Chocolatiers and the food at Amaravathi Palki.
Oh golly goodness…. one divine word…. lindt!!!!! that is what i am looking forward to!
You had me at food! I am really looking forward to tasting all the glorious food and enjoying the experience with my family.
I would love to take my mum to the taste of durban, we are chocolate fanatics so it would be amazing seeing the lindt master chocolatiers in action:) As a bonus, Beluga is my favourite restaurant in durban so it would be the cherry on top:)
The LINDT Master Chocolatiers delicacies . I looooeve Lindt. Can’t wait to see what they make and taste it . Yum yum
I have never been to the taste of Durban event and have only been living in Durbs for a short time, this would be such a wonderful first time experience should I win tickets. going to the event would be an amazing opportunity to experience all Durban has to offer in terms of fine wine, exquisite food and a wonderful social gathering.
I’m looking foward to “The LINDT Master Chocolatiers” just love chocolates and Robertson’s Butcher’s Block. i would love to win the tickets for me and my boo, i have never been to the taste before and this will be a great experience.
EVERYTHING LOL i really cant choose. i just get so excited every year about every stall. happiest time of my life:)