The Test Kitchen: The Best Restaurant In Africa

A piece of croissant for the breakfast, locally-sourced fried snoek for the midday, and a cup of English tea for the evening… Africa, especially Cape Town, is one of the interesting places colonized by several nations to date; perhaps it should be in the Guinness World Records for that matter. As such, on my last trip, South Africa and Cape Town managed to surprise me for the change they have lately gone through both urban-development-wise and gastronomically.

Those streets, where the battles were fought against racism in the wake of 1990s, are now a far cry from that tension. They almost look like they belong to California or Cote d’Azur now. However, they still bear the cultural traces left from the Dutch and the British who made the biggest impact on the country. Some of the urban areas are still risky to wander off to on your own. With that, especially the area around Waterfront witnesses a cultural mosaic crafted by thousands of different people. Of course, such variety reflects itself upon the gastronomical scene like a rainbow too.

Ranked 28th this year in the celebrated list of “The World’s 50 Best” and honored as the best restaurant in Africa, The Taste Kitchen has made Cape Town proud. British Chef Luke Dale Roberts mainly has been interpreting the South African cuisine in a fine eclectic manner. The restaurant was opened in 2010 and since then, has been known for its modest atmosphere like Noma in Copenhagen. Along with its modesty, it can be said to have a very friendly and colorful ambiance too. Located in Woodstock, the restaurant can welcome 60 diners in total thanks to its 15 team members for the open kitchen and 15 for the servicing.

As he said he had learned to cook in Europe and expanded his horizon in Asia, dear Chef Roberts along with diligent and friendly attendant Daud served us “Gourmand Menu” with some special additions and local wine pairings. In the middle of the scorching heat of Africa, Cape Town is actually has its own Mediterranean climate, which is helpful for the grapes to grow and ripen excellently. For the white wines, “Chenin Blanc” might be an outstanding selection and for the red ones, “Pinotage” which is a blend of Cinsault and Pinor Noir. When we brought up GEVREK&GINGER in our conversation, they were very interested in our concept and opened a few more bottles of local wine for us to try; plus, they were very generous and kind for not including these extras in the bill.

Before the menu, we were served butter with thyme, “fleur de sel” which is a sort of French salt, and whole grain sourdough flavored with onion. Following the amuse bouche prepared with beet; cabbage with cubes of tuna teriyaki arrived at the table. However it was the only dish that I didn’t like that night.

Right after sweet potato truffle with parmesan cream, toasted garlic, goat cheese mousse, grilled baby leeks and beurre noisette with ginger dressing which is one of my favorite spices; the first seafood dish, langoustine chunks were served in mirin tea, a Japanese taste. The pickled shitake in the dish had a fine balancing effect for its saltiness. Miso marinated Kingklip (a local type of fish found in South Africa) was accompanied by some carrot and cashew puree, yuzu and carrot top pesto.

For the meat dishes, we had two tastes, one of which was duck with foie gras and “kumquat,” a type of Far Eastern fruit with sweet peel and sour center. This miniature orange gave a fine acidity to the dish. Deboned lamb rib and tongue was flavored with “veloute,” one of the 5 French sauces created by the epic chef Escoiffer.

The sorbet was prepared with tropical fruits, including pineapple in grilled form, just like I would love to have. It was accompanied by small Jell-O cubes, served as “Thai Turkish Delight.” Another dessert was milk stout sponge, a light taste made with merengue with orange, vanilla flavored ice cream and date foam. Following, mint ice cream garnished with apple leaves and rhubarb was a last delicious touch on our palates.

While there is a lot of overrated chefs and restaurants on one side, The Test Kitchen on the other with its successfully reworked dishes and local wines deserves a place on your list of things to be done in Cape Town. However in addition to a flight ticket and a hotel reservation, you also need to book a table well earlier than your trip, since The Test Kitchen is generally fully booked for 5-6 months.

Bon appétit and enjoy the taste of life.