Luke Dale Roberts might just be the most celebrated chef in South Africa. He paid his dues; working all over the world, and it was not long after arriving in Cape Town that he made a name for himself and a little known restaurant by the name of La Colombe.
The rest is history, and he now sits on top of an empire that includes The Shortmarket Club, The Pot Luck Club, Salsify and the Commissary. With these collaborations, his involvement varies, but it is The Test Kitchen that commands most of his attention.
Since opening in 2010, TTK has been at the cutting edge of fine dining, never getting comfortable and reinventing itself the moment it got too predictable. Luke has said many times, it’s about constant change and evolution. Every few years, the restaurant closes and opens up with a new theme. Currently, it revolves around light and dark.
So what of its wine offering?
Tinashe Nyamudoka is their Sommelier. He’s also a member of Team Zimbabwe’s wine tasting team and owner of his own wine brand, Kumusha. Much like fellow Zimbabwean, Joseph at La Colombe, Tinashe is in charge of the restaurant’s wine offering, and frequently attends trade tastings to determine what to buy.
Tinashe effectively spends his days determining what goes on the list, and his nights helping guests navigate it. He knows every dish on the menu, every wine intimately, and if he can’t give you a good steer, then nobody can. The benefits of having a good sommelier!
In fact, it was not long ago that Tinashe arrived at one of our tastings to see if he could find space on their wine list for Naudé Old Vine Chenin and Semillon. In the meantime, you’ll find our 2009 White Blend at The Test Kitchen.
Our suggestion: make a booking for whenever you can get it. It won’t be long before they close once again and emerge later, reinvented.
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