Luke Dale Roberts has worked at the world’s best restaurants from Europe to Asia to South Africa. Twenty-five years of culinary praise culminated in cooking his award-winning way to La Colombe, where he turned up the heat on Cape Town’s Woodstock district ultimately creating The Test Kitchen. All along, he garnered heaps of praise and won coveted titles from Restaurant of the Year to South Africa’s Foodie Oscars.

The Test Kitchen – Summer berries, elderflower ice cream, strawberry and coconut meringue, berry and lime snow

What’s a test kitchen, you ask? It’s a showcase of Roberts expert techniques and passion for flavours at the intersection of international inspiration and culinary innovation. This year he reached new heights ranking 50 in the World’s Best Restaurant Awards of 2018, while also taking the 22nd spot on the Best Restaurant in Africa list.

The Test Kitchen – Crisp Pork Belly, Wood Roasted Sweet Potato, Orange Dashi

But he isn’t one to rest on his latest rue. The test kitchen recently reinvented itself with a Light Room and Dark Room concept where 40 lucky diners get to take a culinary 21-course journey. It all begins in the Dark Room with tapas-style dishes before reaching a crescendo with the Light Room’s formal gastronomy. thetestkitchen.co.za ◼

The Test Kitchen – Bread Milk and Honey – photo Andy Lund

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© This article was first published in Oct-Nov 2018 edition of World Travel Magazine.

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