Day 8 - Pt 2 : Pot Luck

Dinner tonight is at one of our favourite Cape Town restaurants - The Pot Luck Club. We had dinner here when we were last in town, and it was sensational. We’ve been struggling to spend our daily spend budget so far. The £ to ZAR exchange rate is so favourable at the moment, and South Africa has always offered outstanding value to Brit travellers. That might all change tonight though.

It’s still warm when we head out, and we’re glad of the air-conditioning in our Uber. Arriving at The Pot Luck Club, it immediately feels familiar and welcoming. We kick off with some pre-prandials - an Inverroche Amber and tonic for me, and a kiwi and strawberry Daiquiri for Vicki. Yum.

It’s a sharing plate kinda place - and we’re encouraged to order between 6 and 8 dishes to share. We go for 7, figuring that average doesn’t always have to be average. What follows is a succession of show-stoppers. Some really imaginative cookery on display, but brilliantly executed. The Chef Patron is a guy called Luke Roberts - Brit by birth, traveller by nature. The geographically diverse nature of his life is evident in his food - hints of southern Europe here, a dollop of South East Asia there. There are a couple of fish dishes in particular that are as good as any we’ve eaten anywhere. Just sublime…

While we eat, the sun starts to track to the horizon. Behind us is Table Mountain, shrouded in mist and cloud. Over towards Lion’s Head though, the clouds are dispersing, and the sun’s rays are starting to push through. By the time we’re finishing our savoury dishes, there’s a spectacular sunset on display, and diners are queuing at the fire exit door to take pics. We don’t need, but very much want to share a dessert - a peanut butter bombe, with a banana mousse and a Frangelico sabayon. Neither Vicki nor I have a particularly sweet tooth, but this dish straddles the line between sweet and savoury perfectly. It’s big - big enough to share very happily. We wash it down with a glass each of the Joostenberg estate’s noble rot Chenin Blanc dessert wine - a wine I first tried way back in 2003. It’s a brilliant partner.

We’re not full to bursting, but we both know we’ve had a good feed. The bill is incredibly reasonable for the experience we’ve had. Whilst it’s pricey by South African standards, in London, it would cost several times as much. We’re forklifted into the back of an Uber, and head back to our hotel. We stop in at the rooftop bar for a glass of wine before we fall into bed...Read more