Saturday, October 26, 2013

The Pot Luck Club

I've been waiting for ages to visit The Test Kitchen or The Pot Luck Club due to their excellent reputation. To get a reservation is not that easy and for The Test Kitchen the first open spot was only the 9th of January 2014. So luckily I got a spot at The Pot Luck Club the day before my birthday and was beyond excited!



With that excitement I was also a bit weary as top rated restaurants sometimes just don't measure up to what you pay for or expect.  Luckily this was not the case at The Pot Luck Club! It honestly was one of my best dining experiences this year.

The experience is not only about the food. First the location of The Pot Luck Club is on the 6th floor of The Silo at The Old Biscuitmill. You experience an unbelievable view of the beautiful Cape Town.

  
A tip is to take the first seating of the night that is from 18:00 - 20:30. By doing this you experience the magnificent view, see the sun set as well as admire all the beautiful city lights.

Our waiter Jason was excellent. The only negative part of our experience was that we arrived at 17:50 and were not allowed to wait at the bar or inside the restaurant until they opened at 18:00. We had to go down the elevator and wait downstairs. Made us feel a bit unwelcome but this was soon forgotten.
 
 

Now lets get to the food. The Pot Luck Club offers "small plates" of Asian inspired food. The concept is to order dishes and share them between everyone at your table. They recommend about 3 dishes per person which will be equivalent to a main meal.
 
You write down everything on an order-slip and then the waiter will determine in what order the dishes will be enjoyed.
 
The menu is organised in categories such as sour, sweet, umami, bitter and salty. The prices ranges from R30-R150. I can think that some people will feel that the dishes are overpriced, but for me the flavours surpassed the cost and there are some cheaper options where you will still eat delicious food without breaking the budget. I actually realised how often we "overeat" and love the concept of being able to taste a diverse group of dishes and still be "full" after it. Just take your time and determine carefully what you want to enjoy. You can also just start with a few dishes and later add on some more.
 
 

We enjoyed the following:

The best...
 
5 spiced glazed pork belly with a roasted apple,grated halva and crackling(R80) - All the ingredients complimented each other very well and I loved the sour taste the apple gave the sweet pork belly.
 

Crispy duck spring rolls(R35) - This was the first time I really enjoyed a spring roll. The outside was nice and crisp and I experienced a burst of flavour when I took my first bite. It was amazing how you could taste every ingredient that was in the springroll.
 

Moroccan lamb ribs(R85)- Tender and succulent...what more do you want??
 

Malted chocolate fondant with stem ginger ice cream(R60) - My love for chocolate fondants has been evident during my blogposts and The Pot Luck Club ensured that my love for them continue.

The good but I won't order it again...
 
Spring salad, sesame sushi rice ball tamarind and tahini dressing(R40) - I loved the soya infused tofu as well as admired the thinly sliced vegetables. It was good but did not blow my socks off.
 

The dish I did not enjoy (but the boyfriend did)...
Fish tacos(R50) -  I experienced nothing special but the boyfriend loved the seasoning.
 
Drink wise I heard that they have delicious cocktails so I tried the pineapple and basil daiquiri(R60) and the boyfriend had an apple and fennel mojito(R60). They were good but I expected more. The winner of the night however was the Pierre Jourdan champagne you can enjoy by the glass(R40). Next time I will only opt for the champers!
 
 
 

The Pot Luck Club leaves you wanting more and more. While we were there I was already speculating and planning our return visit. I also think that if you want to experience some of Luck Dale Roberts magic its good to first start at The Pot Luck Club and then "hope" for a reservation at The Test Kitchen. Hope I can treat you to a review there next year!
 
Have you been to The Pot Luck Club??? What were your favourite dishes???

p.s The lift ride is awesome, especially enjoyed it when we left the restaurant and enjoyed the great view of the lovely Cape Town!
 
Located at The Old Biscuit Mill, Cape Town
Contact them at 021 447 0804 or reservation@thepotluckclub.co.za
Follow them on twitter @PLCandgallery
For more information visit their website

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