This is the best dish in Cape Town

My wife and I were both born in Cape Town. We live elsewhere now. But every year we go back. And that feeling when the plane touches down never gets old.

Because Cape Town doesn’t greet us like visitors. It welcomes us back like family. The wind. The heat. The ocean. The light.

It always feels like coming home in the truest sense.

Our to-do list for every trip varies. But there are some items that are always present. Seeing family. Shopping at Woolies.

And The Pot Luck Club.

Since 2012

The Pot Luck Club opened in 2012 at The Old Biscuit Mill in Woodstock. I love the space. High up. Exposed brick. Loads of windows. An open kitchen.

We always book the 6pm sitting. So that during the course of our 2 hour allocation we can watch the sun set over Cape Town.

The Pot Luck Club forms part of the culinary world built by Luke Dale Roberts. Before this restaurant, his (now closed) flagship The Test Kitchen placed Cape Town firmly into global dining conversations. That restaurant was ranked as one of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants. It earned Restaurant of the Year at the Eat Out DStv Food Network Restaurant Awards in 2012 and again in 2013, and Luke himself was named Chef of the Year in 2011.

But The Pot Luck Club has always carried its own identity and joy instead of living in another’s shadow.

The menu

The menu is tapas-style. Built for sharing. Six dishes, at least, feels right. You’ll want to have more. Because it’s the kind of menu that rewards curiosity. If you only order safely, you miss the point.

Vegetarians are looked after properly. Not as an afterthought. You don’t sit there wishing you ordered something else. You feel included.

And although everything changes from time to time, the menu keeps its character. There are playful things, serious dishes, always plates that surprise you and reference points.

Like the dish we know we will order every time we come back.

The smoked beef fillet with black pepper and truffle café au lait

This dish is simply outstanding.

The beef is tender. Our waiter always recommends we have it rare. I can’t imagine having it any other way. It has real flavour. The smoke is gentle. It sits in the background, where it belongs, adding depth without trying to dominate. Black pepper is present but doesn’t make a song and dance about it.

The truffle café au lait sauce though. Just wow. Smooth. Warm. Rich but not heavy. It makes the dish feel full and satisfying in a way that is very hard to describe without sounding dramatic.

It’s just deeply enjoyable food done well.

You slow down without trying to, take smaller bites because it tastes that good. You want to sit in the experience for as long as you can.

Not many dishes do that. This one does. Every. Time.

How to make your visit to The Pot Luck Club count

Book ahead. Don’t hope for a last-minute gap. There won’t be one.

Arrive curious. Commit to sharing. Try a mix of familiar and unfamiliar. Don’t rush. Listen when the plates are explained. Enjoy the view of the open kitchen. Take your time. And leave space for dessert.

Whatever you decide to have though, don’t skip the smoked beef fillet with black pepper and truffle café au lait.

What remains is limited

As much as I love the city, there is very little holding me to Cape Town anymore. Both my parents have passed. Childhood friends are now acquaintances.

One of the few reasons left is a single dish that has never let me down.

That is why we keep returning to The Pot Luck Club.