Take one Luke Dale Roberts, and add to his Test Kitchen two Swartland maverick winemakers, Adi Badenhorst and Eben Sadie. Method: a perfect playground of ingredients. The result: highly creative combinations for a winter menu, with no fewer than 11 courses!
Finding the ultimate composition of dishes, food- and wine-lovers can now enjoy Luke’s seared tuna with soft yuzu dashi jelly, soy milk yuba and caviar, foie gras tiramisu, and the newly developed sweetbread and truffle Jägerbomb, among other flares of flavour. This is not about the restaurant; it’s about the kitchen.
Eben and Adi have included stock from their secret cellars that have to date not been available to the public. Some standout wines include the AA Badenhorst ‘Accepted White’ – with a superb honeyed character – Adi describes it as “essence of place”. The AA Badenhorst NV ‘Funky White’ is an artisanal wine with a flor-like quality. And if you’ve not yet had the chance to taste Eben Sadie’s Mrs Kirsten made from the oldest vineyards in the country, this is your chance.
Like the characters behind the scenes, here the food and wine are unconventional. Luke, excited about winter, also feels that their trio has a special chemistry. Wood is a new component that he’s enjoying using, the velouté made with American oak, and bourbon accompanying a new tongue dish. “It’s great to slow down just a little and get seriously creative for the cooler months.”
The Test Kitchen is open for lunch and dinner from Tuesday to Saturday.
This 11- to 13-course menu, including wines, is priced at R850 per person and runs until end July. Thereafter, new menus. Prior booking is essential.
The Test Kitchen, The Old Biscuit Mill, 375 Albert Road, Woodstock, Cape Town, www.thetestkitchen.co.za.
Bookings: reservations@thetestkitchen.co.za or tel 021 447 2337
Tagged Cathryn Henderson
Let’s explore the world of South African wine together. We will keep you informed and up to date with the latest news and events happening in the South African wine industry. We will entertain you through blogs and opinion pieces, advise you about the latest and greatest wines, inform you about the places you can’t afford to miss visiting and the restaurants and recipes you have to try. We bring to life the connection between what’s in the glass, what’s on the plate and the magic that happens in the winelands.
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