The Test Kitchen
and
Victoria and Alfred Waterfront.
Cape Town.
On our last day in Cape Town, we started off with a massage at the Heavenly Spa at the Westin Cape Town hotel. It was a recently renovated facility with included steam rooms and a sauna with glass windows that overlook the harbor. At a rate of $45USD for 60 minutes for a relaxation massage, why not?
We then went onto the Test Kitchen for our lunch via Uber. This was our second visit to the restaurant, having had our first visit in 2013. The Test Kitchen is frequently on the San Pellingrino Top 50 Restaurants in the world and is rated as the number one restaurant in Africa. I had attempted, once again, to get reservation for an evening dinner setting here but they must go immediately within the reservation window opening (60 days out). We had to settle for a lunch. We wait listed for dinner cancellations for dates during our trip but there weren’t any available or any calls to check either.
For those that aren’t familiar, the Test Kitchen offers a fixed tasting menu for a set price with wine pairings. At 525 / 825 ZAR ($37 / 59 USD) with wine pairing for the lunch offer, I find it to be a fairly good value for a 5 course, 5 wine meal. It's less than $12 USD per course including wine. I had recently been promoted at work so this was taken as our celebratory lunch. It was certainly a spectacular event.
Fresh assorted breads to start, along with “The Test Kitchen Appetizers”
Home smoked salmon with beetroot, crème fraiche, parsley jellies, saffron pickled onions, buttermilk crème paired with Neil Ellis Amica Sauvingnon Blanc 2013.
Scallop with naturalist bacon, cauliflower salad, black garlic, caper and pine nut salad, and cauliflower cheese foam with Fable Bird Jackal Mountain 2014.
Light curry glazed kingklip, carrot and cashew puree with carrot beurre noisette Lammershoek Chenin Blanc. It was presented in a smoked stone container and presented with precision after it’s cooking process. It tasted absolutely fabulous and perfectly cooked.
Springbok, chargrilled loin, ember roasted red cabbage, almond cream, red cabbage emulsion, pine oil paired with Joubert Traudaw Syrah 2011.
Beer barley and figs, poached fresh figs, smoked milk ice cream, beer barley fudge and fig leaf granata, peared with Jordan Mellifera 2013. A strange combination but it went together really well and was super satisfying.
And a final dessert item compliments of the chef.
As always, the food product was absolutely sensational. We had the opportunity to have a brief casual discussion with the chef Luke Dale Roberts. Service was a little bit lacking as I think they are more accustomed to completing orders in a line assembly manner in sequence. MrsWT73 ordered individual wines off the list, which seemed to throw the waiter a bit. In closing, it was as enjoyable the second time around and I would easily make time to return on our next trip through Cape Town.
After lunch, we headed onward to the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront. It was a bit of a grey day today but it’s still a nice area to people watch and pick up some souvenirs.
After an afternoon outside in the cooler temperatures, and an afternoon drink in the Irish pub at the roadside drop off by the entrance, we returned for dinner at the hotel in Lobby restaurant at the Westin Cape Town. We applied our 300R credit for missing out on our SPG Platinum upgrade and it was all taken care of.
As always, Cape Town is a lovely city to visit and remains among my most highly recommended places to be when discussing travel with others.