In May, earlier this year, the world sat up and took notice when Chef Luke Dale-Roberts’s The Test Kitchen was given the Cacao Barry One To Watch Award at The World’s 50 Best Restaurants awards, held in London. The award signalled a belief that come next year The Test Kitchen will most certainly appear on The World’s 50 Best Restaurants list. Which is exactly where it should be.
In the meantime, those managing to secure a table in the restaurant or a (desirable) seat at the kitchen counter will understand exactly what all the fuss is about. And what they should be indulging in, is the Gourmand Menu. This is where you see Luke Dale-Roberts at his best. The menu is an ever-changing culmination of what happens when an extraordinary talented chef gives his imagination free reign. It’s playful, slightly off-beat, perfectly executed and well-thought out. It is about how far one can go in terms of flavour and where each dish is a conceptual culinary masterpiece. Luke Dale-Roberts not only wants you to eat, he also wants you to think.
Last year, the Gourmand Menu showed signs of Asian inspiration, this year, Luke wanted to do something completely different, so, he looked closer to home for inspiration. To Africa. To African produce, to African customs. For the first time he has pig’s head on the menu as a nod to the popular pigs heads, known as Smilies, found in many South African townships. Pigs head and blue cheese, it reads on the menu. A bit harsh, some would say, couldn’t he have softened the name? Just a little bit? But Luke chose the name deliberately, he likes the controversy, the likes the slight shock element of showing diners the entire (cooked) pig’s head before serving them a delicious, beautifully plated dish of pork cheek.
The dish Flash cured Blesbok, springbok parfait, eland marrow and morels is served with a sprig of wild rosemary, and a sun-bleached bone on the black plate. It makes you think about meat, its origins, what the animal eats, and how you eat it. Eating this dish is a cerebral experience as well as a gustatory one. According to Luke, he wanted this dish to be primeval. ‘It needed to be about the animal. This dish is about honouring what you eat.’
There is a splendid rhythm to the menu, the likes of a light, subtle Pan fried line fish, charred spring onion and fennel salad, roasted fish velouté is followed by a rich ‘Slow & fast’ duck. While a pre-desert of Jerusalem artichoke parfait, served with crushed chocolate macaroons and grated macadamia nuts offers a delicious and surprising earthiness before the sweetness and complexity of the Banana pancake and mango canoli, passion fruit ice, and lemon grass infused tapioca ends off your meal.
As always, The Test Kitchen’s Gourmand Menu is a celebration of key ingredients. For Luke it’s about making one ingredient stand out. ‘I keep on banging on about ‘What is the hero of the dish?’ Because at the end that is what truly elevates a dish into something special. Luke Dale-Roberts is a showman. An unashamed showman. He likes to impress but he holds fast to three ideals. Originality. Respect. Perfection. His latest Gourmand Menu embodies all of that. And then some.
So who does Luke Dale-Roberts entrust The Test Kitchen to when he’s away, or when his head is elsewhere? Who does he rate as someone who shares his passion for originality, respect and perfection? The answer is the charming, 26 year-old Ivor Jones who has worked alongside him for 7 years, since the day, Jones, fresh out of chef’s school joined the Dale-Roberts team as a junior chef at La Colombe. Recently promoted to Head Chef of The Test Kitchen, Ivor is now tasked with running the show and keeping tight control of the kitchen. He is also Luke’s partner in creativity. Like for all great chefs, food is an obsession for Jones. After a hard 12-hour shift in the kitchen, he is still compelled to research a culinary challenge into the early hours of the morning.
According to Ivor, ‘Luke and I play off each other’s creativity. He’ll come up with a brilliant idea, and then I’ll be his do-man. I’ll figure things out.’ And Luke values Ivor’s originality, his talent, his disciplined approach to his work and his lack of arrogance.
The grill and the sauce section, often regarded as the most difficult stations in a restaurant kitchen is where Ivor loves to be. ‘I like it because it is hard, because it is challenging. I still get nervous in the kitchen but I regard that as a good thing. Because, like his mentor Luke Dale-Roberts, Ivor Jones will always keep on pushing himself, will always strive for perfection.
The Test Kitchen is located at Shop 105a, The Old Biscuit Mill, 375 Albert Road, Woodstock, Cape Town. To book your table call (27) (21) 447 2337, email [email protected] or book online via www.thetestkitchen.co.za. Opening hours: Lunch Tuesday to Saturday: 12.30pm to 2pm and Dinner from Tuesday to Saturday: 7pm to 9.30pm.
