AURUM Restaurant — Restaurant in Gauteng

We celebrated my partner’s birthday at Aurum at the The Leonardo Building on 09 January 2023. We chose to dine from 18h00 to enjoy the sundown into the evening. We were welcomed and seated near the pool area. We were welcomed by Bhekokwakhe Mthethwa as our server. He was warm; friendly and extremely patient with us. He understood we were there to celebrate and allowed us time to enjoy the experience. He was patient enough to explain the cocktail menu to us; understanding we did not consume alcohol. We found his service through the evening diligent and attentive; without been intrusive. The African Orange Mockjito and Tropical Sunrise were large enough to last through 2 courses. We were given homemade bread and pita bread; with a onion and chive patte and red wine infused butter. Both were delicious and soft on the palate. For starters; we had the Calamari and Seared Springbok Loin. Both were served elegantly; with portions sufficient to consider as appetisers. Both starters went down very well; with the springbok retaining its juiciness; and the succulent crispiness of the calamari. The mains were Aglio e Olio with Prawns and Norwegian Salmon. The linguine was fresh and presented with the correct tenderness. The prawns were well prepared and flavourful. The Norwegian salmon was a substantially generous portion with both thick and slim portions; allowing for the hint of pinkness to remain. The Risotto Bianco Side was suggested by Bhekokwakhe; and he was not wrong in how it complimented both dishes. We ended our dining experience with the crème brulee and Moroccan mint tea. The tea was served in a black cast teapot; with a delightful addition of honey sachets. The crème brulee was unusually surprising; with the fresh berries; pomegranate and home made ice cream. A surprise lay in store for the birthday girl as Bhekokwakhe had a surprise in store; a box of macarons with a sparkler. He also informed us of the different dining and sundowner experiences The Leonardo Building offered; and gave us handy tips to use on our next visit. All in all; Aurum exceeded our expectations and made our special day exceptional. The chef; kitchen staff and Bhekokwakhe made our experience unforgettably memorable. We thank them all and hope...

Walking into the resturant was stunning. The architecture & design is absolutely gorgeous but it ended at that.

On the service front - we had so many different people serving us that I did not know who our server actually was. And none of them introduced themselves, cared to explain the menu. Nothing. Every time we needed something it would just be a different person and clearly they were not communicating because upon ordering a cocktail from one - two others came to ask if we ordered a drink.

Moving on to the cocktail. Beautifully presented R155 cocktail that tasted sub average. Someone else ordered an old fashioned and it seemed the whole bottle of simple syrup was thrown in. So sweet.

Appetizers. On the table we ordered duck arancini, calamari and the beef tataki. The sauce in the calamari was so unbalanced by its overpowering Tabasco flavour. The "duck" arancini = where was the duck? Was stodgy and bland. The beef tataki was the better option.

Mains, we had 4 different dishes: Springbok loin, Mushroom Risotto, Salmon Linguini & Salmon main.

Springbok loin: Ordered it med rare. Was overcooked. Dry. Lacked seasoning. Luckily there was Maldon salt on the table. Accompaniments were good.

Mushroom Risotto: Just plain, bland mushroom risotto. Not fantastic, not bad.

Salmon linguini: WORST DISH on the table. Beautifully presented with "caviar" and it ended at that. No flavour at all besides fish on fish & cream.

Salmon main: Better choice on the table.

Dessert was fine. The oreo cheesecake with the burnt tuille is a no from me. So dense and no oreo flavour in sight but the Panna cotta like one was tasty.

This resturant caters for those that want to take Instagram pictures and look boujee but not those that come from the resturant industry and have experience in great fine dining resturants. For all the hype - I would never recommend it. I was so excited and was left so disappointed.

The only reason it was pleasant was the great company around the table.

No ambient music either. They did do a sweet gesture for my friend with a Polaroid & some sweet treats though. So good on you for that!

Not again.

(Some of the beautifully presented food pictured below. Aestetically...

3/5 at best… and really, it’s the decor that’s boosting my score. Poolside dining is very basic, the real picture worthy setup is inside but nonetheless, I wanted fresh air so I opted to dine outside.

I originally wanted to dine at Alta 234 but learned that they were closed to the public for the day so I was redirected to Aurum on the 7th floor.

Beautiful large bar, staffed with two bartenders at 6pm but NEITHER knew how to make a martini. I requested a very simple Lemon Drop martini and was quickly rebuffed. I’ve been on a champagne campaign all week so I decided to continue by getting a bottle of Vueve 🙄 I also ordered a carafe of pineapple juice so I could make my own mixes… uber disappointed.

Food: I ordered the calamari as an appetizer. On a positive note, it wasn’t rubbery but it definitely isn’t anything to rave about. Plating was beautiful tho. For my entrée, I ordered the wagyu rib eye with mashed potatoes, which was savory and cooked to perfection. Highly recommend this menu item! 😋

Service: with the exception of a short black guy with glasses, service was courteous and professional except for the 26 minute gap before anyone returned to take my entrée order…. more disappointment. At this point, I really should have left but I already had my champagne so what was the point of that?! My waiter, Tumeloo, really was trying and I can’t fault him for bar and WiFi issues. He absolutely tried to go above and beyond to bring me back to happiness/satisfied. I also like the teamwork I observed with various members of staff running food/drinks and clearing tables. Anyway, if you’re in town and looking for ambience, the dining room at Aurum is good bet, but if you’re from the West and enjoy standard cocktails (as in know what you like and routinely order), this isn’t for you.

I will say, Shelton (manager) did come over after to gauge my experience and I expressed my disappointment. Shelton tried to remedy the martini situation but at this point, I was pretty much over it. I do appreciate his attention to the matter and all his efforts to have me...