South Africa -- Cape Town Continued

We spent four days altogether in Cape Town, and we continued to eat very well indeed, although our subsequent experiences did not rise to the level of The Test Kitchen.

Founded and given its creative spin by Luke Dale-Roberts, of The Test Kitchen, which is in the same complex, this is a much more informal spot with a chic young crowd and excellent, interesting food.

I didn't keep a menu so cannot describe the dishes, so pictures of a few of  the things we ate will have to suffice.

Various dishes at the Pot Luck Club

Our final dinner in Cape Town was a La Colombe, situated atop a large hill (or small mountain) overlooking some spectacular scenery, which we missed by arriving late. The food is interesting and, like many restaurants in the area, makes good use of local produce, seafood and meats. It is also beautifully presented.

The pre-starter was "Tuna La Colombe," a tuna tartare whimsically served in a proprietary tuna can:

"Tuna La Colombe"

The first course was a choice of smoked ox tongue or prawn salad; we tried both.

Oxtail starter at La Colombe

Prawn salad at La Colombe

The fish course featured a choice of filet of linefish with caramelized cauliflower, chicken tortellini, etc. or a miso seared scallop with Asian style pork belly. Once again, we sampled both, and they were excellent.

Grilled fish filet, caramelized cauliflower, etc.

Miso seared scallop, pork belly, kimchi, corn velouté

For the meat course, Joan elected seared loin of springbok with caramelized onion, various vegetables and foie gras jus, while I opted for the fillet of beef with vegetables and truffle cafe au lait. Perfectly cooked.

Springbok loin at La Colombe

Beef fillet at La Colombe

Desserts were fine but did not quite live up to what went before. I had "3 Ages of Boerenkaas," local cheese served at ages six months, one year and four years, served with pickled onions and figs and candied walnuts. High marks for creativity but South African cheeses don't rival French (or in this case Dutch) ones. Joan had a perfectly nice, but not extraordinary, chocolate crémeux with cherry stracciatella, kirsch and tonka bean and almond.

Two more excellent Cape Town dining experiences!

Bobby Jay

South Africa -- Cape Town

Joan and I are just back from a fabulous trip to South Africa and Botswana, the best trip ever!

We started in Cape Town, a beautiful city featuring lovely buildings from the nineteenth century,

Old buildings, Cape Town

exquisite scenery,

Kirstenbosch Gardens, Cape Town

and, yes, excellent food.

The night we arrived, a bit tired from the 24-hour journey, we dined with a friend at Aubergine, a very good restaurant not too far from our hotel. The cuisine was sophisticated and modern while showing off excellent local products, both animal and vegetable. I had springbok tongues (really) and Joan had ostrich. Both were excellent, and accompanied by nice South African wines and charming service.

Springbok tongues

Our second night we went to The Test Kitchen, considered South Africa's best restaurant and Number 28 on the 2015 San Pellegrino list of "The World's 50 Best Restaurants" (I don't usually pay attention to these lists, but still this is impressive). We had a seat at the counter where we could watch the meticulous preparation of the muli-course extravaganza and even talk to the brilliant owner chef, Luke Dale-Roberts.

 Before the seven-course tasting menu begins, there are wonderful "appetizers":

"Appetizers" at The Test Kitchen

There followed, at just the right pace:

A bread course, featuring excellent and attractively presented homemade breads and butter,

Breads and butter at The Test Kitchen

"Heirloom Tomato," consisting of tomato jelly, wood-roasted aubergine, West coast crayfish, toasted parmesan custard and basil oil (I won't repeat the descriptions for the remaining courses, but you get the idea),

"Heirloom tomato" at The Test Kitchen

"Scallop,"

Scallop at The Test Kitchen

"Light Curry Glazed Kingklip," beautifully prepared at the table,

"Light Curry Glazed Kingclip" at The Test Kitchen

"Duck," a beautifully clean presentation with cherries, foie gras, and BBQ meringue,

"Duck" at The Test Kitchen

followed by desserts, "Rhubarb & Summer Berries" and "Banana, Caramel, Coconut."

"Rhubarb & Summer Berries"; "Banana Caramel, Coconut" at The Test Kitchen

The detail is worth it, because in the hands of a great chef, these very ingredient-laden dishes really work. The bottom line is that Joan and I agreed that it was one of the best meals we had ever eaten.

Bobby Jay