A creative culinary crucible in Cape Town
Extraordinary food combinations, hip design and innovative flair distinguish this lively restaurant
The standard of cuisine in Cape Town – where farm-fresh fruits and vegetables, locally sourced seafood and innovative chutzpah are commonplace – is exceptionally high. While I’d find it hard to pull out the very best restaurant from such a spectacular field, The Test Kitchen, by talented chef Luke Dale-Roberts, is certainly one of the most stellar. Located in the hip Biscuit Mill complex in the Woodstock area of the city, it has a winning mix of design-forward décor and wholesomely creative, market-inspired cooking.
Image: Michael le Grange
After a recent trip, I am still awed by all of the flavour combinations that Dale-Roberts and his talented team managed to bring together in one meal. Patrons can choose between three- and five-course options at dinner, as well as gourmand and vegetarian menus. Meanwhile, an à la carte option for lunch includes many of the chef’s signature dishes, such as pan-fried line fish with calamari, marjoram and cherry tomato ragout (about £9) and Luke’s Caprese (about £5) – the chef’s take on the traditional mozzarella and Roma tomato salad with added gooseberries in basil and black pepper syrup, stracciatella, yoghurt snowballs, olive tuiles and basil granite. The delectable beetroot mousse, slow-cooked baby beets, lemon and thyme purée, horseradish and mixed-nut crumble, fennel confit with puff shards is shown in the second picture. His are not traditional recipes passed down through the generations.
Our dinner group opted for the three-course menu (about £27.50), plus vegetarian extras. The menu presented a mouthwatering mélange of emulsions, purées, jus and salsas that added zest to the various cuts of meat and poultry. Starters of slow-cooked sweet potatoes with smoked goat’s cheese mousse, beetroot and apple purée and puff shards, and a fricassee of exotic mushrooms with a corn and miso velouté were light and delicious. Meanwhile, mains including South African speciality springbok – here pan fried with foie gras Catalan, black pudding and Jerusalem-artichoke-stuffed sprouts with beetroot and Jagermeister jus – were a symphony of contrasting yet complementary flavours.
I had a special penchant for the figs prepared two ways – one with an unlikely olive-oil ice cream and burnt nougat pairing, the other with yogurt curd, almond galette and fig vinaigrette – but the frozen cashew and cinnamon parfait with a saffron lassi foam and pineapple tarte tatin came a close second.
I am still trying to work out how the chef comes up with these extraordinarily colourful and characterful combinations that are incredible on both the plate and the palate.