NEW ADVENTURES FOR LUKE DALE ROBERTS

AWARD-WINNING CHEF AND RESTAURATEUR LUKE DALE ROBERTS THRIVES ON THE PROCESS OF CREATION, THE FORGING OF A NEW CONCEPT AND THE STEADY PROGRESSION FROM NOTION TO REALITY

WORDS RICHARD HOLMES

“I’M ALL ABOUT THE BUZZ OF A NEW IDEA. Seeing it executed and watching customers enjoy it,” says world-renowned chef, Luke Dale Roberts. “That’s why I’ve always ended up doing a different kind of restaurant every time I’ve embarked on a new project.”

The latest addition to his portfolio of acclaimed eateries is certainly something new. Set just two floors below the hugely popular Pot Luck Club, Salon offers up an elegant and intimate space within the creative hub of The Old Biscuit Mill precinct in Woodstock, Cape Town.

“It’s not an easy time for the restaurant industry globally, but I suppose I am quite bullish,” Luke adds. “People have said we’re brave to do this, but the past season has been so good and so busy. If we can just hone this down and get the concept right, we should be in a great position.”

Salon is most certainly a concept that has evolved. Though it was originally imagined as a simple cocktail bar with canapés, it has since morphed into a more unique and layered experience.

But first, the decor. While the Pot Luck Club does make an immediate impression with its panoramic city views, Salon has to work a little harder. Enter designer Maurice Paliaga, who also worked with Luke on the ‘Dark Room’ concept at The Test Kitchen.

At Salon, Maurice has turned to colour and light to evoke the concept of a vintage French salon with contemporary chops. There are Art Deco window decals and velvet drapes, brass lamps and mid-century furnishings. But also a thoroughly modern entrance ‘tunnel’, a portal that transports you from modern-day Woodstock to a more elegant, cerebral space.

Step through into the intimate restaurant and you’ll find a cluster of four-top tables framed by leather banquettes along the walls. The marble tables atop wrought-iron stands are an authentic touch. But if you have a small group, the pair of exclusive booths are the best seats in the house. Beneath impressive crystal chandeliers and with an extra dollop of privacy, they’re the perfect space for earnest discussions and gastronomic adventures.

The menu at Salon is a testament to Luke’s years of culinary adventure all around the world; a set-menu of nine plates tracing his travels through global kitchens in seven countries. There’s an echo of the Dark Room experience at The Test Kitchen here, – which is certainly no bad thing – but new dishes extend from a typically inventive take on local shisanyama to Malaysianstyle laksa and Singaporean chilli-crab.

The wine list is compact but well curated, with the add on of an enticing cocktail collection created especially for Salon. Overall, it’s a culinary and creative space that’s a perfect fit for Cape Town; a market Luke Dale Roberts knows well.

Johannesburg has proven to be more of a learning curve for him as a restaurateur though. While The Shortmarket Club in the Oxford Parks development has been a huge success, the much-vaunted opening of The Test Kitchen Carbon – located in the same development – has been far more capricious. Hence the conversion of the TTK Carbon space into the first permanent Johannesburg outpost of The Pot Luck Club, which opens this month. He also created the menu for the newest kid-friendly spot in Dunkeld West, Joy Jozi, assuring it’s a place parents will want to frequent as much as the children do.

“I think in many ways people are over the very serious fine dining experience,” the chef muses. “They want more choice and to just have an enjoyable, fun time while having dinner. That was certainly a motivating factor behind what we’re doing in Johannesburg with the Pot Luck Club. We’re also aware of our market. You want to create an experience where locals can come back regularly. You don’t want them visiting only once a year.”

And judging by the new menu, there will be no shortage of loyal locals. The tapasstyle menu combines some of the most popular Cape Town dishes with plenty of Johannesburg-only innovation added. It’s another new adventure, another new concept and one of the country’s most lauded chefs and restaurateurs can’t wait to open the doors.

“I’m 51 now, and it feels like I’m at a pivotal moment in my life,” says Luke. “I’m really eager to spend the next 10 to 15 years exploring new opportunities, new ideas and my own creativity.”

For more, visit salonpotluck.co.za ■

LUKE, BEYOND THE PASS...

EATS… “I really like Italian food, and I’m at A Tavola in Claremont at least once a week. I also really enjoy Limoncello in Noordhoek – they do the best pizza in Cape Town. Saigon is always a favourite, and I love Nobu for special occasions. On the weekends you’ll find me at Long Beach for a swim and a breakfast bun from AndRoc food truck.”

TRAVELS… “I recently got back from 10 days in the Seychelles. We stayed at Hilton Northolme and Mango House in the south of Mahé, and at Hilton Labriz on Silhouette Island. It was such a tonic to switch off and just fish, snorkel and swim. I really need those kinds of holidays.”

READS... “I wish I had more time to read, but I find that my mind starts to wander. The last book I read was The Promise by Damon Galgut, which I took to the islands.”

SHOPS... “Paul Smith is a favourite, and I enjoy We Are Egg in Claremont for local designers. I buy a lot from the surf shop in Kommetjie.”

FROM BELOW ZERO TO THE STARS, IT'S TIME TO GIVE YOUR LOCAL A SKIP AND HEAD TO ONE OF THE MOST EXTREME BARS IN THE WORLD

WORDS CHRISTINE VAN DEEMTER