party Archives

I am embarrassed to admit that up until a few months ago, I didn’t really know what Zomato was, let alone know that they would be turning 7 this year!

Zomato, for those (a probably very small number of people) that don’t know, is an amazing amalgamation of restaurants loaded onto one online database. This database comes with foodie reviews, menus, prices, venue and contact information, pictures, link-ups to Uber – the whole toot! It goes even further and divides these restaurants into very clever and user friendly categories to help you along with your search; all in an attempt to ensure that “no one has a bad meal ever again”.

It is actually genius. This genius idea originated in India in 2008 – which really isn’t that long ago when you think it is used by millions of people every single day in over 10 000 cities across 22 countries!

Zomato works around the basis of creating your own profile, and it is on this profile that you can become an active user. The more you use it, the higher your foodie score becomes, the more followers you attract, the more respected your opinions become and the more your likelihood of being invited to some amazing Zomato foodie meet-ups.

Myself and Sam have been lucky enough to experience a few of these meet-ups (see here and here) at various restaurants around Jozi, and we couldn’t be more grateful to the Zomato team for including us.

Every single member of the team we have met are young, vibrant and passionate about what they do – and last week Thursday, we got to see most of the team again all in one place at their wonderful birthday bash at their offices in Dunkeld.

We were spoilt with magical views over Jo’burg, a divine live Jazz band duo and the most delectable desserts I have seen in a long time!

The evening was a great way to celebrate everything Zomato has achieved thus far, especially the South African team – who are so dedicated to the work they do, and whom we so greatly admire.

If you don’t yet have a Zomato profile, you REALLY should sign up – it makes the search for restaurants, café’s and take-out joints a breeze! And if you are wondering if Zomato in any way paid us to write this – they most certainly did not; we just cannot help but love them and their concept – any time we are on the search for a good meal, Zomato and their trusted food community has become our number one go-to app.

You can visit their website here to create your own profile. Our Zomato profile is Spruce_Lifestyle, and we would love for you to follow our foodie expeditions.

Thank you to the Zomato team for the invite to this special birthday evening, and most importantly for including us in this wonderful and continuing journey of yours.

As you may remember, this weekend was the annual 5ForChange black tie ball in Cape Town: I blogged about the event a few weeks ago, and how excited I was to (finally) attend the party. Despite the fact that winter has well and truly arrived in the Cape, it was a fantastic event – and overall a great weekend getaway.

My younger sister, Savanna, studies at UCT so the weekend gave me a chance to catch up with her, my brother (a co-founder of the event) and sister-in-law, over the best meal of the year on Friday evening. Cheyne’s, in Hout Bay, was our host for the evening – a gem of a restaurant in the “Republic”. I loved the prints of the London street art hanging from the walls (I did a street-art walking tour in London last year, resulting in this appreciation), the crackling fire and warm ambience of the place. But the food was the star of the show. Heavy in Pacific Rim influences the restaurant serves up modern, creative, well-plated tapas-style dishes.

I need to talk about the Deep Fried Milk for a second: WOW! Easily, the most original dish I have ever tried, the coconut milk accented with green chilli was a hit at the table (along with every other dish, to be honest). The user reviews on Zomato are all basically 5.0’s (except the one guy with the lame 3.5 bringing down the average), which goes to illustrate the caliber of the restaurant. Make sure you put this one on your list!

5FC was held at the Cape Town City Hall, providing a classy backdrop to the evening – the lighting and set-up made the most of the grandiose proportions of the hall. Upon entering the doorway, each of the five beneficiaries had a small stand, enabling guests to engage with the founders of these incredible organizations and understand what each of the charities do for the communities in which they operate.

The auction items raised over R150, 000, all of which will be donated to this year’s beneficiaries. While I did not have twenty-odd-thousand to throw around for a surf lesson with Jordy Smith, I love that I can do my own small bit to give back to the charities after chatting with them on the evening.

There were plenty of glamorous gals on the night, although I have to hand it to the boys: overall they were a touch more impressive! I choose a black wrap-style dress; which I picked up in Paris last month…. At H&M 😉 paired with a cute bow-tie broach on the back of the dress.

Dress: H&M, Shoes: Mimco, Broach: Lulu Belle, Bracelet: Witchery, Earrings: Mimco, Clutch: Mulberry

After the auction and prize giveaways, the entertainment started along with a steady flow of champagne and Patron tequila. The sign of a good night is how sore my feet are the next day (cripple-level) – I could not even contemplate the after-party, which might have been a good thing in hindsight!

I am so pleased I met Leigh from Lipgloss Is My Life

The event was a resounding success – the organizers’ small touches went a long way in keeping the guests entertained and engaged, and wanting more next year! Next year, both Spruce girls will be representing and hopefully, Jo’burg will play host to its own event in the near future

Posts Tagged ‘party’

Zomato Turns 7

5FC weekend in Cape Town