SandiSplash

I still don’t know how I managed to score an invite to a Zomato event at 54 on Bath with big names in the social media and foodie scene. Either way I jumped at the opportunity to dine at one of the best fine dining establishments in Johannesburg.

It’s no secret that I love 54 on Bath. It’s my favourite hotel that I’ve never stayed in. I always seem to attend events hosted at the hotel and I am always amazed by its’ unique charm. But its charm can sum up to a blog post of its own. A story for another time…

I’ve been planning on visiting Level Four this year for a quiet romantic dinner so I was quite happy that I got to do this with my fiancé at this event. Now I've stayed and dined in a few 5 star hotels but none has ever compared to the service I received at Level Four. The waiter and manager helped us pick the right wines and assisted with my ever indecisive food choices. It's the attention to detail in the service that I really liked like never having my wine or water glass empty and coming back to my neatly folded napkin whenever I left the table. I cannot stress how much I loved the service - it was just the right amount of attention and never overbearing. All thanks to our waiter Freedom. :-)

Enough of my pompous opinion on service; it's the food that people are really interested in. The cuisine is fine dining and I'm not a huge fan of fancy food but this was just wow! All the dishes are designed by executive chefs widely respected in their field so it’s no wonder that every dish I tasted had elements that complemented each other so perfectly that one element on its own doesn’t taste right.

Everything served at the restaurant has such a unique twist to it. Auction wines are on offer, the bread was baked with bits of cumin in it and throughout the meal there was something about the flavours that just blew my mind.

The menu changes regularly but if you’re planning a trip there soon, I’d definitely recommend the taste of lamb as a main meal. Its three different cuts of succulent lamb served with melt in your mouth lentils. The aroma of the dish and the taste made it a satisfying winter meal (it was cold that night). It’s a pity that I wasn’t the one eating this dish but I stole most of my fiancés food and didn’t end up eating all of mine.

I had their signature fish and chips dish but it’s not what you think it is. The fish is Norwegian salmon best prepared medium rare and the chips are made of rice! The deserts were spectacular to look at – something those acclaimed chefs invited to the Masterchef shows would make. I had the dark chocolate fondant with a deliciously gooey centre served with chill chocolate jelly-like cubes and a hazelnut sorbet that I kept describing as chana magaj ice-cream.

If you visit Level 4 for a meal, then at some point in the evening, you must try to go out on to the terrace. I love that area. It reminds me so much of a little London city hotel but with a lawn on their “roof”. Chilling on the terrace during the day is one of the best city getaways because even though all the Joburg hustle and bustle of the city life is there just four floors down, sitting at that lawn makes you forget all about it. At night, it feels quite magical like being on a rooftop looking at all the city lights.

I left the restaurant with a happy tummy and dreamt of their food that night…and dreamt of waking up in their luxury suite. One day…one day….