the test kitchen

after waiting 2 months for my reservation, i finally made it to the test kitchen. this is a tough one to rate. overall i would say it was a good experience. was it the best restaurant i've ever been to? no. was the food worth the price? ehhh...maybe. i still haven't made up my mind on that one. i opted for the 5 course menu with the winepairing@ r770. i know i rave about myoga, but the restaurant offers an 8 course menu for 500 something....much better deal. personally i thought myoga was better too. but being as i am rating test kitchen, i will stick to that. =) food was good, wine was good --- my advice, only go if you can truly afford such a pricey meal. it's cool to say i've eaten at the best place in africa, but it's also cool to buy 2 meals for the price of one. ::cough cough:: myoga.

absolutely delicious food and presentation with wonderful service.  a real treat!  my favourite part of this dining experience was being able to watch a row of chefs turning out their delectable dishes right in front of you.  we went for the 8 course winepairingmenu - each dish a surprise plate filled with amazing flavours.

the test kitchen is the best restaurant in south africa, it has no competition 👌🏽! food presentation is tops - from the dark room to the light!! the service is outstanding. mealpairingwith wine or tea lovers with tea, is recommended.

definitely worth the wait! yes, going go the test kitchen requires booking long in advance, but once you experience their exquisite cuisine, you would understand why!

beautifully plated bursts of flavour, in the form of a 7 course tasting menu, was more than my taste buds could have ever imagine! the daring combinations are excuted in the most magnificent ways, leaving you wanting more.

we even had the pleasure of having chef luke dale roberts come to our table to ask if all was in order. our waitress was brilliant and wonderfully knowledgeable about the dishes being served. the sommelier provided us with a deliciouspairingwhich worked with all the dishes being served.

test kitchen is a must for any foodie! it was a great way to celebrate our anniversary.

by far the greatest restaurant in the whole the country. there is no other way to describe the experience than it being a culinary journey.

i was lucky enough to get a booking on my birthday last night (having made the booking 3 months in advance).

the evening is divided into two halves: the dark room and light room. it begins in the dark room where you served two cocktails and a variety of snack themed dishes, including pork crackling and guinness (if you choose the meat option, is vegetarian so it the pork was substituted for something else).

afterwards you are escorted into the light room, which feels as though you are being transported into another world — it's so different! here in the light room you are served more traditional dishes but the each dish leaves you wondering where on earth all these flavours are coming from, it's quite astounding.

we also opted to do the teapairingas you can't do a teapairinganywhere else, and it was well worth it. each tea is carefully chosen to complement each dish in special way.

in the weeks leading up to our reservation, i was wondering if ttk would live up to the hype, and how it would compare to the likes of la colombo and waterkloof (the second and third best restaurants in sa according to eatout for 2017), and it completely lived up to all of my expectations. there really is no restaurant quite like the test kitchen.

firstly to get the opportunity to eat at the test kitchen you have to consider yourself lucky as there is only a dinner service available for 40 diners. i love the new online booking system which i think is more fair. there is no preferential system, bookings for a three month period go live online. i think it would be easier to get a booking for larger tables as i noticed very few two seaters at the restaurant. the restaurant is small so i don't think u need to sit at the chefs table to see what they are doing.

the menu is set and the option of teapairingand two different wine pairings. i liked that the water was complimentary.

dinner started of with snacks in the dark room. it's a very small room so a bit overwhelming at first with the amount of people already in there and the service staff.

there is only one menu priced at r1600 which i think is reasonable given that it is 19 courses, with complimentary water and two complimentary cocktails. it's cheaper than the other fine dining places where you can expect to pay r1200 for anywhere between 6-10 courses. teapairingcosts another r400. i tried this at the saxon and didn't like it. the gourmand winepairingwhich we opted for cost r650 and the iconic winepairingcost r950. i thought the winepairingexpensive given that it's r650 for five pairings.

we got to have two complimentary cocktails each where the selection was the test kitchen g&t, sweet, salty, bitter and sour. we had one of each of the last four. the cocktails were quite strong, i wouldn't say they wowed me, i have preferred some of the cocktails i have tasted at the plc. i do like the idea and think it's a nice touch.

the dark room is dark with very cool music and a smoky smell. it definitely transported me back to london. i really loved it. we had 10 snacks in the dark room.

the test kitchens billionaires shortbread with foie gras was delicious.

slangetjies were this light crackers flavoured with curry leaf.

salted stone pine nuts are not something i can say much on.

local liquorice cured waygu biltong was the best biltong the fiancé has had.

pico green vegetables with ssamjang dip and marmite on toast. the dip with marmite on toast crumbs was so yum.

pork scratching, pint of guinness, celeriac salt and vinegar. i had the veg version of this with some crackers and it was so good. the fiancé thought the veg version was better since it was lighter. a really moreish and fun dish.

cheddar cheese ploughman, ttk branston pickle should be eaten in one bite and is a rich creamy cheesy deliciousness

peking quail sandwich was exactly how quail should be cooked. the only place where i have eaten quail and i loved it.

smoked lamb, barley and toasted ginger wafer, xo dressing. another perfectly cooked dish. the lamb almost melts in your mouth and the xo dressing was delicious.

shiso granite, sake jelly, yuzu compressed cucumber was a welcome palate cleanser. not my favourite granite flavours but it did the job.

i was already feeling full after the dark room but we still had another ten courses to go in the light room!

the light room is a more formal dining setup. the ambience was very busy and bustling, i much prefer a more laid back romantic fine dining experience. it was also very loud so we couldn't really hear what our server was saying who also spoke very fast.

we started with the bread and butter course with three different types of bread a kingklip dip and salted butter. the bread was so delicious i ate them all. i especially loved the one with onion in it.

12 hour smoked trout tartare with homemade cream, lemon verbena oil and dill oil had a good balance of flavours

ttk niçoise salad was a yummy tuna dish

char grilled scallop with cauliflower and cheese and back garlic salsa was the fiance's favourite dish of the evening. the scallop was perfectly cooked and the sweetness was balance with the rest of the dish and not overpowered.

lamb sweetbreads, liquorice liver jus, lime gel and preserved lemon and pinenut gremolata was another delicious and perfectly cooked flavorsome lamb dish.

pan seared duck breast with sour cherry clafoutis, duck liver stuffing and our cherry jus was perfection.

lamb minestrone, potato parmesan dumpling, lamb and tomato extraction was comfort food take to the next level. this had me licking the plate clean.

bread milk and honey served as a plate cleanser. probably my least favourite dish as i didn't like the quince flavour.

strawberry rose icecream, coconut meringue, minted strawberry sherbet, rhubarb and burnt vanilla butter, lemon bush and cinzano snow. a light ending to a perfect meal. i did expect dessert to be more wow or more sweet but that might have been a bit much given the amount of food we had just eaten.

to end of we had ttk millionaires shortbread with chocolate petit fours.

i was happy to see a 12% gratuity automatically added to the bill as i am so sick of people who are stingy tippers.

i loved the test kitchen experience and i am glad i got to try it. it's not a restaurant that i would try again soon as the price is a lot (2.5k a person) and also it's more food than i would usually like to eat. but it's definitely worth an experience at least once. everything we ate was faultless and delicious.

also don't get me wrong i think the price is duly justified as you would pay more at an international restaurant for the same experience, it's just not something you can do often.

luke dale roberts never fails to surprise from the innovative teapairinghe introduced a few years ago to his latest dark and light.

his innovative cooking, marriage of flavor and presentation are world class. whilst some may feel the price is steep for local sa cuisine, his prices reflect the quality one would find at any of the great restaurants in europe and north america.

we live in johannesburg and i planned my husband's surprise 30th in cape town (in june) around a birthday lunch at the test kitchen. i made the booking 4 months in advance and only managed to secure a lunch because they were fully booked for supper till the end of july!

we were definitely not disappointed. everything from the winepairingto the service was outstanding. 

we had the best seats in the house, on the bar next to the kitchen. the chefs were so skilled and their manners were immaculate. we got to see luke dale roberts in action in the kitchen as well, which made it all the more special. 

the food was brilliant! the flavours from each dish ranged from subtle to explosive. each flavour combination was well thought out and executed. definitely worth the trip to cape town and will definitely be going back when we can!!

one of the best culinary experiences we have ever had. tucked away in old biscuit mill, this place is absolutely unpretentious. loved the winepairingmenu - the attention to details by the staff in explaining the rationale for each wine with the food is commendable. truly loved every course of the meal - the artichokes appetizers, the salmon fillings, the tuna and the loin main course and the rubaab dessert. this place is a foodie s delight and worth every penny and the long waiting time. an absolute absolute gem of a place and my most memorable meal- something that makes you fall in love with the food. @ gaurav anand - thanks for this experience :)))

we've been fortunate to visit the test kitchen now for a second time. having booked a table almost 7 months in advance, expectations were high for the evening. three of us did the winepairingwhile the remaining two the tea pairing. the food certainly didn't disappoint however, i do have a few negatives.

so there is no a la carte menu. you are essentially forced to do the 10 course menu so come starving 🙃

for being the top restaurant in south africa and in the top 50 restaurants of the world i would expect the waiter to at least a) know what kind of tea is being served for the tea pairing. when asked what the twg stood for ito brand we got a "i'm not sure" and b) fill my water glass without having to ask each time.

the reservation process is supposed to be simpler now that you can do online booking through dineplan but after checking today, seems the place is once again fully booked until end september and no further bookings are open online. hmmm.

after a r9k bill, will have to save up before we can splurge like that again.

didn't think ttk could get better but it's better than ever. faultless lunch with an excellentpairingmenu. everything you would expect from a fine dining experience. attention to detail, great food and wine and outstanding service.

be prepared to wait to get a booking mmm say 3 months, venue small and intimate, a lot of effort goes into training, they good but let's be honest trying to explain what luke does with the food cannot be easy, if you doing it then do it proper and have the 8 course with the winepairingand don't be in a rush, it takes time to prepare good food. if you expecting big plates of food you in the wrong venue, this is a food experience and well worth every cent, wine and food compliment each other perfectly. it's a long dining experience and can take 4 hours so best have good company, fantastic restaurant and well worth it's accolades.

yes it is that good.

i thought about that since the day i booked (3 months prior) and when i heard the hype and reviews and saw the prices, 'is it really that good?' and the answer is a resounding yes.

the atmosphere set by the soft lighting and happy friendly staff that are very knowledgeable on the dishes and the wine is one of relaxation and enjoyment. my wife and i did the winepairingoption and it was amazing. the food was so well balanced and the wine complemented it so well.

there was nothing out of place on any of our meals, not to sweet or sour or sharp or tart or smokey.

true excellence.

can't wait to go back :)

after much excitement and build up to this night (4month wait), it was finally here! the 6 of us were the first through the doors taking in the layout and off centre style of this venue. not quite what i expected and still not sure how i feel about the layout and decor. while i really enjoyed the bustling atmosphere created by the open kitchen and the feel of the face brick walls, i was a bit thrown off by the fact that all the tables and chairs did not match. but decor aside, we went there as rumor has it they are rated in the top 50 restaurants in the world! surely this means that the food and service is 5 star...? but before we get there i think it is important to reference that on booking we had to choose the menu we wanted, of which we all opted for the cheaper of the 2 with winepairingwhich was just under r1000 per person. the week of our booking we were notified that our chosen option was no longer available and that we now had to choose between a r1300 or r2000 menu per person. this to me was completely unacceptable and not what we had agreed on or paid our deposit towards...but what could we do 3 days before the night we had been waiting 4 months for...? so we decided as we had chosen the winepairingmenu to take the responsible route and arrange with our bank to send a take me home service. after contacting the restaurant and being informed that the course usually lasts 3h-3:30h, and our arrival time being 7pm we reserved our service for 11pm just to be safe.
being seated at our table the butterflies started doing cartwheels as we had no idea what to expect, but at r1300 per person it had better be out of this world! our waiter arrived, and greeted followed by an explanation of the menu. this was unfortunately one of the first of many speeches he made which nobody at our table could hear or understand over the mumbled words coming out of his mouth. once the first course arrived we had an idea what we were in for... tasty but very small bite size meals. as 3 of the 6 being guys with pretty healthy "lifters" appetites, we knew we would need more so we dived into the bread board, which btw was fantastic! it was sad to notice that the table of 2 next to us got to share a bread board and our table of 6 had to share 2 rather than 3. but back to the courses been laid out for our taste buds to go wild. i must say that i thoroughly enjoyed every mouthful except for the most important course... desert, what an utter let down, and to think that this is the course that you leave with fresh in your mind...! so on my rating scale all the courses (except dessert) get 9/10 and dessert gets a generous 4/10! back to the service which was of a "spur" or "wimpy" standard... we had more than one waitron at our table, which at times caused confusion between them to who was going to explain the course or winepairingto us. not only was this confusing to them and us, but i do believe that it is important to build and establish a relationship with your waitron and or guests. as mentioned earlier we were the first table to arrive, and our service was slow... 11pm was approaching fast and we weren't near done. we watched as table after table left before we had even received our dessert. unfortunately our "take me home service" could not wait any longer and had to leave... at around 11:40 we finally managed to get out of there having finished all of our courses... so much for it taking 3h-3:30h...! so to sum it all up, the already high price increased 3 days before our reservation 👎🏼 the bad service 👎🏼 the longer than expected dining time and missing our lift service 👎🏼 the desert 👎🏼 the other courses 👍🏼 overall i have no idea how they achieved such a good rating as i have dined at far better "fine dining" restaurants in and around cape town at half the cost per person.

the food was great however nothing left my mouth watering for more. unfortunately the winepairingwas not explained in detail and the waiter was very soft spoken, so half the table could not hear what the dish was. a lot of effort went into the dishes, just a pity it was lacking that something more that we all expected.