The Test Kitchen by Luke Dale-Roberts

Food:

A gourmet laboratory on the city’s food map. Every dish passes through chef’s hands at Luke Dale-Roberts’s exciting new concept restaurant. Downsizing from La Colombe, the global gastronomic destination at Constantia Uitsig, lucky Luke is back to cooking up a storm in his own kitchen. Inspired by fresh seasonal ingredients bought at local butcheries, fisheries and markets, the fare enhances natural flavours through intriguing food combinations (veal tongue and scallops) and imaginative interpretations of tastes and textures (rabbit ham with braised chestnuts and pickled quince). An exotic, Asian theme runs through a cutting edge menu where fish, poultry, beef, venison and lamb – all sourced from artisanal suppliers – are transformed by intriguing sauces like dark beer and doenjang glaze, miso and tarragon cream, pastis and thyme hollandiase, peanut and elephant garlic puree, mirin and yuzu jelly, or rosemary and juniper velouté. The master is free to do his own thing at last, and it shows in the passion on the plate.

Wine:

The excellent selection of the Cape’s labels, displayed on open racks, promotes first-class food and wine pairings.

Service:

Hands-on, with a well paced delivery of every dish created by the chef in front of your eyes.

Ambience:

The exposed ducts, shelves, fittings and red ladders of the Old Biscuit Mill create a retro industrial space for this culinary playground where fine dining is refreshingly relaxed.

And...:

Eat at the kitchen bar to watch the chefs in action, or go the full monty and try the dinner degustation menu of eight of the chef’s signature dishes with matching wines. (GH, October 2011)

Jonathan Miller
28-Jan-2012

Finally got an opportunity to dine at the Test Kitchen and it was sublime. We ordered the line fish and pork belly, which were beyond compare. The presentation, depth of taste and quality of ingredients are evidence of a truly world class restaurant. Bravo Test Kitchen!

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Lauren K
21-Nov-2011

Probably one of the best meals that my foodie mate and I have ever shared - the pork belly was sublime. I still salivate a little at the thought - and the duck and fois gras parcel was a revelation. Looks like it pays to follow Luke Dale Roberts about Cape Town as he does his thing (and very well at that).

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