Luke Dale Roberts Shares His Little Black Book

Luke Dale Roberts

Where does the world-renowned chef and restaurant owner eat and play?

Luke is the brains (and tastebuds) behind some of South Africa’s best restaurants, from The Test Kitchen and The Pot Luck Club to Salon, which launched last year. Born in the United Kingdom, the legendary chef-owner studied in Switzerland and England, before honing his skills in Asia and then bringing them here – to our delight – where his work has won many prestigious awards.

Luke Dale Roberts Salsify

If a close friend arrived in Cape Town and wanted a fine-dining experience, I’d tell them to go to Salsify and have the tasting menu. Ryan [Cole], the chef and owner, is a good friend of mine and an avid fisherman, so he loves using local fish. His partner Nina du Toit runs the kitchen and she’s the most incredible chef. They’re such a dynamite duo in the kitchen.

Luke Dale Roberts La Colombe

I also love Chefs Warehouse, Fyn, La Colombe and many others. When I go for fine dining, I try to do something different each time, and there are different levels of enjoyment. For me, it depends on who I’m with, what the occasion is, how the food is, how the service is, how friendly the staff are and so on. It’s not always just about the food; for me, eating out is about the enjoyment factor rather than being an analytical experience.

I have lunch at A Tavola in Claremont at least twice a week on my way home from work. Emma and Dave Haupt, the owners, are passionate about wine and just serve good, honest Italian food. I love the linguine gamberone, the veal with mushrooms and the octopus carpaccio.

Luke Dale Roberts Long Beach

I also know a great place for breakfast, whether you’re a foreigner who’s just visiting or a local. I live in Kommetjie, and on Long Beach on most weekend mornings, you’ll find a food truck called AndRoc. Their brunch bun is always brilliant. What I do is I have a cold-water swim and then I come out and have a brunch bun, which comes with chilli relish, basil pesto, bacon, egg, onions… It’s just really good.

Luke Dale Roberts Joon

Another best-kept secret is a little restaurant in Muizenberg called Joon, which is also the owner’s name. She does Middle Eastern Greek mezze and these very cool different-flavoured flatbreads. She’s just the sweetest lady, is always there, and her daughter runs the kitchen – but I think they conceptualise the food together. They do kick-ass pizzas as well, but my recommendation would be the mezze for two.

Restaurants aside, there’s a place called Soetwater Tidal Pool in Kommetjie that I love. You can walk there from Kommetjie town along Lighthouse Road. I often go there to swim in the mornings, and it’s usually deserted. I also love going to Buffels Bay in Cape Point Nature Reserve for a braai. I did a really cool crayfish-sliders braai there recently with some friends, which was lots of fun. The only problem is you have to be wary of baboons.

Luke Dale Roberts La Reve

Tulbagh is an untapped little oasis for me, where you don’t get any of the crowds. There’s a place called Le Rêve, which we’ve been to a few times now. It’s this funky little oasis in the middle of Tulbagh, where they play really cool lounge music and there’s a pool bar and pizzas. You can also stay the night, which I like to do. Tulbagh Waterfall Nature Reserve also has the coolest waterfall, which is a five-minute drive from that resort. It takes about 20 minutes to walk to the top and you can swim in all the pools on the way down.

Luke Dale Roberts Noop

I always stop at Noop in Paarl on the way there. It’s one of those lesser-known places that’s very popular among the locals but hasn’t featured in any of the awards (which is just strange). Zian Oosthuizen, the head chef and owner, does the most beautiful, affordable tapas; the calamari is delicious and the duck is brilliant. They also do these great little duck salads, an honest, European-style risotto and an abalone risotto. If you’re heading out that way – say, to Tulbagh or Robertson – it’s a perfect stop-off for lunch. There’s also a really cool waiter there who collects pens. He’s probably about 65 years old and he’s just such a quirky character – and he knows the wine list inside out.

Another place that is absolutely stunning is the Karoo Arts Hotel in Barrydale. It’s got this retro-slash-antique vibe, but with a trendy cocktail kind of thing running through it, and a really nice pool. At six or seven in the morning, Rick [Melvill] the owner takes everyone out to the Tradouw Pass for a cold-water swim in the river. It’s the perfect way to start your day. And while you’re in Barrydale, I recommend visiting a lovely little restaurant called Mez, which serves beautifully done, really cared-for food.

Luke Dale Roberts Robertson

I had a great experience at Paul René in Robertson. Henk van Niekerk, the winemaker, told us the best thing for a hangover is a glass of bubbly – and, of course, the Paul René bubbly is superb.

Stuck in the middle of nowhere between Barrydale and Oudtshoorn, Peter Bailey Port is also great fun and really off the beaten track. They’re quite interesting because they do a white port, as well as a standard port and a couple of wines. It’s lovely to sit on the stoep with Peter and his wife and taste the ports and wines – but you need to phone ahead. It’s a nice little stop-off if you’re going from Barrydale or Swellendam and heading towards Knysna.

Luke Dale Roberts Adi Badenhorst

Another place I would recommend is Adi Badenhorst in Malmesbury. He’s just started making sherry, which I’m buying – it’s not even really released yet. He makes some very quirky, different wines and he enjoys looking at the oxidation process that takes place when you make a sherry. He’s got a whole range of locally made sherries, which is unique, and I would recommend trying all of them – especially the fino sherry, which is bone-dry and served chilled. It’s the kind of drink that you can have as an aperitif.

Luke Dale Roberts Crystallum

Wine for a special occasion… I enjoy the diversity of wine above all else, but I did have a wine I thought was very special the other day, which was Springfield’s Work of Time. It has so much character, and so many peppery and spicy notes to it. The Crystallum Peter Maxx Pinot Noir is also one of my favourite wines. I love the lightness of pinot noir and I love the fact that you can serve it slightly chilled and it doesn’t knock you flat. I also love that you can pair it with food so nicely; you could pair it with a roast fish dish or a light chicken dish, a lamb dish or even a good pasta, like a carbonara. It’s just so versatile, and it’s very elegant.

Luke Dale Roberts Gorgeous George

In Cape Town, I love Gorgeous George, a hotel just off Greenmarket Square. It’s affordable, it’s quirky and it’s got a DJ on the roof in the evenings. Try the pink cocktail with lips on the top – it’s quirky and delicious, and it’s not too sweet, which is my pet hate. For luxury, The One&Only is probably my favourite hotel. All in all, if I was coming to Cape Town for a week, I would stay a night or two in the One&Only, a night or two in Gorgeous George, and then maybe the Mount Nelson for a night or two.

Luke Dale Roberts Kloof Street House

We went for dinner to Kloof Street House while we stayed at Gorgeous George, and I was blown away by the atmosphere, the decor, the cocktails… It’s just a really funky place, and I thought that if I was arriving from any country in the world and someone took me there first, I would say this is a seriously cool town.

Discover all of the Cape’s hidden gems – subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

Disclaimer:

The Inside Guide has made every effort to ensure that the information in this post was correct at the time of publication. However, we do not assume any liability caused by errors, such as price, cost, time, and location.

Time of publication: 06 August 2024

Add new comment

15 Responses to “Luke Dale Roberts Shares His Little Black Book”

  1. Mervyn Gers

    Great recommendations thanks!

    Reply
  2. Kathy Jadamski

    Lovely to get to know about these places!

    Reply
  3. Fathima Dada

    LDR is just one of my favourite people. Full stop. So humble, generous and talented. Luke, come for dinner to our place. I am not a bad cook, but no chef. I also do the best lamb curry you will ever taste! 🤩

    Reply
  4. Nina

    The seafood bisque at Noop is next level, you’ll love it. I travel from East London for it regularly.

    Reply
  5. Debs Ayub

    What a fabulously delicious read from a Chef’s heart and soul ❤️ such unique and special places mentioned and shared! What a treasure trove! Definitely not sure about the cold water swims! LOL

    Reply
  6. Hugo Lambrechts

    Great selection of resto and places stay in Cape and beyond. Well done

    Reply
  7. Craig

    Great recommendations. Excellent article.

    Reply
  8. Glen Hutchinson

    Thank you!

    Reply
  9. Linda Crowley

    Loved this post and learnt about a few places I didn’t know about

    Reply
  10. S. Hofmann

    Quince Restaurant & Deli is my fav. Such good food.

    Reply
  11. Gerda

    Thank you for sharing all the special places. He does confirm my adoratio for 2 places i.e La Colombe and Salsify. I have been going to both for many years.

    Reply
  12. Antoinette

    I so enjoyed this article! Lovely reading a review from a top well known chef. Can’t wait to try a few of his recommendations, the cold swims? Maybe not.

    Reply
  13. Malcolm Jacobs

    the best in cape town is Magica Roma in pinelands maybe in the whgole of South Africa

    Reply
  14. Luci Lynham

    I just love this man. I use to work with him at La Colombe just after he took over from Franck, what feels like eons ago. He is just the coolest guy and so genuine in his intent. I have been to some of the places on the list, been wanting to try some, like Noop and will be checking out some I’m unfamiliar with. Cape Town surely has to be one of the coolest cities in the world. I should know, I’m a tourguide and all my clients think so:-)

    Reply
  15. Mark Greeff

    Brilliant Article!!!👍🏾 I loved Luke’s food before reading the article, but sharing his favourite spots was really special and will be on my “must experience list”. Really enjoyed reading this one and will share with friends and family – Thanks again

    Reply