Aurelia’s

Overall impression: Arriving in Johannesburg after a long international flight, we preferred to remain within the Caesar’s complex (where the Emperor Hotel and Aurelia’s are located) near the airport. While there, we enjoyed the excellent and friendly service and food at Aurellia’s , named in honor of Julius Caesar’s mother. The high quality food was served hot and freshly made. Waiters were attentive and eager to please. The glass enclosed dining room was comfortable with an outdoor feel. Dining selections included South African, Asian and continental dishes.

Although the executive chef was absent when we were there, our hearty meal was well prepared and served with care. From appetizer to dessert, the food was satisfying and sufficient to suit even a large appetite. Nobody left our table hungry. While at the Caesar’s complex, Aurelia’s was our favorite dinner place. We look forward to our next visit to the Emperor and dinner at Aurelia’s.

Location: Set along the northern façade of the lobby at the five star rated Emperor Hotel in the Caesar’s Gauteng complex

Opened: December 2001

Owned: Global Resorts ( East Rand ) (Pty) Ltd.

Restaurant manager: Robert Anthony Larsen

Chef: Gabriel Le Roux

About the chef: Chef Le Roux had more than eight years of professional cooking and kitchen management experience. Prior to his arrival at Aurelia’s, chef Le Roux worked at Emily’s Restaurant (Cape Town, South Africa), Court Classique Hotel (Cape Town, South Africa), De Waterblommetjie Restaurant (Cape Town, South Africa), De Goewemeur Restaurant (Cape Town, South Africa), Le Petit (Cheltenham, Untied Kingdom). He trained with master chef, gastronome and author Raymond Blanc

Assistant chefs : Gawie Le Roux and Genevieve Ki (who cooked our meal). Prior to working at Aurelia’s she trained at the Witwatersrand Hotel School , worked in Hong Kong for one year, and worked at the Park Hyatt and Sun City Lost Palace hotels.

Restaurant manager: Solomon Mudry

Handicapped access: Access on all level floors, wide doorways and handicapped toilet facilities available within 15 meters of the restaurant.

Décor: conservatory style setting with scarlet and gold fabrics, timber and rattan furniture, bronzed tables and botanic print napery set off to advantage by fern and bamboo palms in classical stone urns. Decorative touches included framed botanical studies on the walls, pedestals supporting stone busts, dining chairs with specially aged cane wrapped in leather detailing, marble and porcelain tiles and cascades of leaves from baskets hung beneath the fabric-draped ceiling. The floor to ceiling French windows of crystal-clear glass could be rolled back to give access to an al fresco dining area.

Type of restaurant: “New Style South African cuisine,” which we found to be Continental and South African dishes with an emphasis on local ingredients

Special menus: Seasonal, set and daily menus

Size: 92

Ease of reserving: Excellent

Languages spoken: English

Wine and spirits details: Aurelia’s had a selection of domestic and international wines and spirits. For cocktail lovers, Aurelia’s offered 24 mixed drink combinations including three non-alcoholic options. Cognac lovers would be able to choose from the restaurant’s selection of nine cognacs ranging from 85 rand to 1,000 rand a glass.

Meal: First we each had a bowl of soup. One of us had butternut squash cream soup with pumpkin seeds and the other a sweet potato with oxtail soup. Crunchy cheese straws accompanied the soup. They were thick and delicious. For our main course, we ordered African crayfish. It was perfectly grilled; served with three choices of sauce and Asian. Our other main course was ostrich, which can be a challenge to cook. Fortunately for us, our chef that day was ostrich friendly. She prepared a flavorful and tender dish served with corn meal and vegetables. We enjoyed dinner with a bottle of well chilled and smooth South African Pierre Jourdan sparkling rosé wine. By the end of the main courses we were satisfied. We would have called it quits at that point, except we discovered they had milk tart for dessert. We had to try it.

Service: Very good.

Other: Aurelia’s had a small lounge area, a second small lounge and separate dining area for smokers.

Latest visit/date of review: April 2004

Would you dine there again? Yes

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