aurelia's restaurant - peermont d'oreale grande

booked online and received a confirmation. when arriving at the restaurant i was told they are fully booked and the website was not suppose to take any reservations. i explained it wasn't my fault as i got a confirmation and after a short wait we were seated. the waitrons, restaurant ambience and overall experience was delightful. however the food was a total let down. thebuffetwas very restricted in choices and definitely not the place to visit if you looking for a goodbuffetspread... the meats were dry, chewy and salty, no choice on how you would like the roasts except well done! not worth another visit to thebuffetunless maybe to try their a la carte menu...

joined a group from hello joburg magazine here for chef justin's degustation - which was nothing short of superb. service was fantastic, and the menu was well thought out, and executed to perfection.

we started with an amuse bouche which comprised of a grilled pineapple sliver witha  ginger rum sheet and was paired with a delicious paul cluver close encounter riesling.

we then moved on to a selection of small plates - salad caprese served with a tomato terrine, boncconcini and a parmesan brulee served with smoke in a glass, followed by a tasty franschoek salmon consomme, complete with salmon roe and micro greens, which when the consomme was added literally came to life in the bowl.

entree's of roasted pumpkin with a lankbaken blue cheese followed, and then a  palate cleanser of a tequila lime jelly shot which was powerful and tasty.

the cobblers hill - roast namibian lamb rump, paired with thyme cumin butter and a variety of puree and an orange sweet potato fondant paired excellently with the springfield work of time were a fantastic combination.

by this time i was so full - but there is always room for dessert and the study of milk tart was so beautifully plated i didn't even want to eat it ( but of course i did) was the perfect combination of a classic milk tart served with bourbon vanilla, lavender ganache and cinnamon sponge - my fave dish of the evening.
an amazing cheeseboard followed - the deep fried camembert was sublime and chef's pistachio brittle with figs added to the experience perfectly.

last but not least a gorgeous plate of macaroons and turkish delight was served and by then i was ready for bed - what an amazing experience.

breakfast the following morning was also an incredible experience - everything from fresh fruits and yoghurts to sushi and a warmbuffet- i selected to sit on the balcony and enjoyed the view of the pool and the busy hum of the restaurant.

if you do ever get the chance to dine at aurelia's i would certainly recommend it, and the degustation menu was like nothing i have ever experienced before. out of this world.

very, very disappointed with their sunday buffet... the service was almost none existent.. the presentation is very glitzy....unfortunately the quality very lacking.. for a seriously expensivebuffetthere was very dry braai meat.. tough roast beef...charred chickens.. stodgy veggies and pap... certainly not 5 star.. have had a better sunday lunch at mikes kitchen at half the price..

i have always enjoyed dining here but we went last sunday as a group first theirbuffetmain course is disappointing even rossetta's beat them, no seafood whatsoever, prawns, salmon, trout or any good fish even simple hake was nowhere. the lady manager of the day was quite unfriendly, no hospitality at all, our waiter irvin was good though. i have just the experience of that one day, will see me never to return there ever again.

a good breakfast is key for a good start to your day. this is what we expected and received from thebuffetlaid out at aurelias. there's a wide variety of hot and cold dishes with everything being prepared fresh. it was a very busy sunday morning with the waiters looking a bit dazzled but service was average non the less. the egg station proved a bit of a disaster as it was so busy and my husbands omelette been given away to someone else 3 times! when we eventually got our omelettes we both agreed it was light and fluffy and one of the best we've had. at r200 pp it's worth it for the selection on offer but definitely go hungry.

the best food, beautiful place. their service is the best, they have variety from starter, main meal to dessert, i enjoyed theirbuffeti am planning on going with my whole family for a sunday buffet, my friends loves it too. i will definitely come back.

i cannot fault this place on anything. had a lovelybuffetbreakfast there and my word was i impressed the food selection is one of the best featuring waffle stations, vegetable juices,cheese platter and sushi and about 3 variations of bacon. the egg station also offers a poached egg something i rarely find and the staff was excellent we didn't get our enough cutlery but that's just a minor hinge in the bigger scheme of how truly awesome this place is.

had the pleasure of spending a morning at aurelia's for breakfast. they were very accommodating seating us next to a plug point to be able to do some work. the most amazing breakfastbuffeti have ever experienced - everything was fresh and looked amazing. the staff are friendly, attentive and welcoming. i couldn't resist all the pastries and had the best french toast. and not leaving out the coffee - cappuccino heaven.

situated on the ground floor of 5 star hotel d'oreale grande, it makes for a pretty setting as it connects the main lobby to the pool and garden area. it's also very close to the airport and they have free shuttles running every 20 minutes or so.

we had breakfast at this luxurious joint and i was amazed by the sheer variety of the items they had on the buffet. right from the usual cereals/fruits counter to the fairly common indian or asian counter to the rare sushi counter (the first time i ever encountered sushi being served for a breakfastbuffetexcept for in japan!) every single counter was decorated beautifully, specially the huge centre one which had an assortment of healthy desserts - made from cereals, yoghurt and fruits; and believe me, it was extremely yummy :d - along with 12 different kinds of dips, exotic fruits and my beloved sushi.

they also had a live counter for eggs-to-order and waffles, but i just had the waffles, which were good. in the asian section, i loved the stir fry vegetables, as they were cooked and seasoned to perfection. apart from this, there was rice, noodles, various egg preparations and sauces, the honey-chilli sauce being the best. sushi, was awesome, no doubt about that. comparatively, indian section lacked the lustre and all the preparations were tasteless when matched with the requirements of the indian people. corn and peas, rajma, basmati rice and eggplant vegetable were the four main preparations and every single one had one or the other shortcoming, but i wasn't complaining; there was a lot of other stuff that i loved more than all this!

there were 6 different kinds of juices, out of which i liked litchi the most. they also had iced milo in this beverage section, but it was too icy for my taste, even though that's how it was supposed to be. there was a counter for breakfast breads and pastries - banana bread and pain au chocolat were extremely soft and delicious. i may have skipped some things in this - what i want to say is that they have great variety, excellent service (they take away your half-empty dishes before you can say no - so be careful about what you don't want them to take away! :d), wonderful ambience and wholesome food.