Fabulous food, fine wine and a favourable setting
Johannesburg, South Africa, is the metropolitan melting pot of Africa. Boasting the largest economy in Sub-Saharan Africa, the City of Gold can rightly consider itself the financial hub of the continent.
An urban space brimming with white-collar professionals needs an eatery that reflects its level of sophistication. Signature Restaurant serves that need. The fine dining haunt is perfect for the poised professional who demands the best of herself and those around her. It is ideal for a martini lunch - a number of respectable businessmen have signed bank-busting deals seated in one of the booths on the restaurants floor. The service is of a superior standard and the food is award-winning.
Signature is your friend when you want to celebrate your birthday with class; it will light the candles to ignite the passion between lovers during a romantic dinner date.
We walk into Signature Restaurant on an unassuming Wednesday night. Though the restaurant was reasonably full, the maître d swiftly accommodates us. Carob-coloured carpets and chesterfield couches decorate the chic eatery. My popular dinner companion swims through the tables greeting friends, colleges and acquaintances. We haven't reached our table before Desmond Mabuza, owner of Signature, comes to greet us personally.
Mr Mabuza takes a keen interest in his diners, the industry secrets and advice he shares with me makes this very clear. "It's a pleasure to finally welcome you to the family," he says in parting as it is my first time dining at the fine restaurant.
And ''fine' it really is. Pick from a menu of mouthwatering sushi and other seafood dishes; palate pleasing salads; hearty soups; heavenly oxtail, lamb shank and venison all cooked to perfection. I tuck into a generous helping of Monk Fish and Seafood Risotto while my dinner date opts for the Beef Fillet and Pie dish.
The fish is incredibly moist and well seasoned. The risotto itself, served in squid ink, is incredibly filling. This paired with a glass of Warwick First Lady Cabernet Sauvignon (as the fish are considered quite meaty for seafood) makes for an exquisite meal. I decide to balance the salty taste of the seafood with some acidity. Upon my request, the waitress brings out a side-plate of lemon wedges so artistically carved I don't want to squeeze them limp. My date's personalised steak knife cuts through his fillet like a hot knife through butter, to reveal the rare flesh of the beef. The buttery pastry of his pie flakes like feathers.
We dine leisurely. The soft hum of chatter coming from the other diners seems to sync harmoniously with the enchanting vocals of the lounge singer.
Stomachs full and spirits light, we decide to retire for the night. As we walk to the car in the damp Jozi night I am left with the feeling that, as Signature Restaurant explains, "it's an experience that reminds you why restaurants deserve to be revered."
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The City of Gold is brimming with some of the finest restaurants and eateries in the country - five star experiences with a five star price. My Dining on a Dime piece proves you needn't break the bank to have a good meal.
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