We discovered the Pot Luck Club in Cape Town when we were looking for the restaurant “The Test Kitchen” – one of the best 50 restaurants worldwide. At the time of our visit both restaurants were run by the same owner. Unfortunately, The Test Kitchen was still closed – in retrospect a lucky coincidence, because the food and especially the bright atmosphere of the Pot Luck Club fascinated us deeply.
Both restaurants are located on the premises of the “Old Biscuit Mill” and are only steps away from each other. In this area of Cape Town there are some small galleries and many handicraft businesses. After a short small talk with the chefs in The Test Kitchen we took the elevator to the top floor and were welcomed in The Pot Luck Club in a very friendly way. The restaurant manager was so nice and let us sit at “his” table. The staff was all extremely friendly and quick and we enjoyed the great service.
The Pot Luck Club has an open kitchen inside the restaurant which looks like a classic factory floor and with its massive wooden furniture it is down-to-earth but nevertheless very chicly furnished.
To the outside the restaurant is framed by large windows that allow guests to look out over the rooftops of Cape Town while dining.
The menu in The Pot Luck Club offers the dishes in five flavours – salty, sweet, sour, bitter & umami (amino acids glutamic acid and asparagine acid) – only fatty was missing… why in fact only… I found this very pleasant because it is so close to the culinary aspects. Also striking was the beautiful tableware, which consisted of many different handmade plates and bowls, a little feast for the eyes.
With the selection of the dishes we put ourselves completely in the hands of our waitress. So, we had salty marinated olives, a tuna tartar and green salad as a starter – accompanied by a very tasty bread. Everything was served with love, very tasty and of high quality and freshness.
Afterwards there was trout with fennel, apple and lime – which was the sour taste – and parallel Korean cauliflower which felt under salty.
In the main course we had for example Unamie crispy octopus served. This had already spent many hours in the Sous Vide bath before it was breaded and fried and you could taste it – it was buttery and of a surprisingly tender texture.
Next came an incredibly tender and juicy beef tenderloin – again from the umami flavour – which had a hint of black pepper and was served with an incredibly delicious and innovative truffle café au lait sauce.
One of the best sauces I have ever had the honour of tasting! Not to forget of course the handmade French fries – these were in no way inferior to those from Belgium.
After these culinary delights only the “escape” into sweetness remained. With The Pot Luck Club`s mores and a small special production the cooks of The Pot Luck Club showed us that “sweet” is also one of their strengths. The whole thing was rounded off with an excellent cappuccino and we were more than happy.
The prices at The Pot Luck Club can justifiably be described as reasonable – such good quality will be hard to find in Europe at these prices. Our visit to The Pot Luck Club was a complete success – culinary as well as atmospheric. A clear recommendation to all who visit Cape Town to stop by at least once – but make a reservation in advance and sent some greetings from Erik!
