Test Kitchen gets world accolade

Cape Town - 120508 - Alan Winde, MEC for Tourism, joined Luke Dale Roberts of The Test Kitchen at the Old Biscuit Mill in Woodstock to learn how to make Robert's signature dish. The restaurant placed 74th in the world this year. REPORTER: LYNNETTE JOHNSSON. PICTURE: THOMAS HOLDER

Cape Town - 120508 - Alan Winde, MEC for Tourism, joined Luke Dale Roberts of The Test Kitchen at the Old Biscuit Mill in Woodstock to learn how to make Robert's signature dish. The restaurant placed 74th in the world this year. REPORTER: LYNNETTE JOHNSSON. PICTURE: THOMAS HOLDER

Published May 9, 2012

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Restaurateur Luke Dale-Roberts is an alchemist in his kitchen, turning everyday ingredients into award winning experiences.

Last week Dale-Roberts’s The Test Kitchen, at the Old Biscuit Mill, was crowned by San Pellegrino as the 74th best restaurant in the world.

UK-born Dale-Roberts was given the accolade 18 months after opening his restaurant. In December he opened the adjoining Pot Luck Club.

He is also setting up his Kitchen of Dreams, a stone’s throw from the Test Kitchen, and from June 1 he will be putting into practice the myriad ideas floating about in his head.

It will be in his Kitchen of Dreams that he will conjure up new, interesting and tasty additions to his gastronomic feats.

He says his food is all about him, his style and what he is into. “My kind of style is off the wall,” he said.

He is slightly embarrassed to be likened to internationally acclaimed chef Heston Blumenthal, who is known to experiment with food cooking techniques.

Blumenthal’s restaurant Dinner is the ninth best in the world and the world renowned the Fat Duck came in at number 13.

The annual award is sponsored by San Pellegrino and Aqua Panna and organised by Restaurant magazine.

It is not the first time that Dale-Roberts has made the list. In 2010, while he was working as executive chef at La Colombe, the restaurant came in at 12th place.

A few months after leaving La Colombe he opened The Test Kitchen.

“I was hoping we might get in there, but it was still a pleasant surprise,” he said of his latest accolade. - Cape Argus

* The world’s top restaurant was Noma in Copenhagen, Denmark. The only other South African restaurant on the list was The Tasting Room at Le Quartier Francais in Franschhoek, at number 57. - IOL (from www.theworlds50best.com).

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