Those of you who know me well would never accuse me of being a “foodie”. While it is true that I am a complete “coffee snob”, many times I would prefer a slice of Pizza at Costco over a gourmet meal. Not that I do not like to eat. Those of you who know me are well aware of my weight struggles and my working with the people at Beaumont Hospital’s Weight Control Center. Needless to say, imagine my surprise at finding myself at Cape Town’s famous The Test Kitchen run by Chef Luke Dale Roberts. Last year The Test Kitchen was ranked the 61st best restaurant in the world.

My wife Gail and I are spending several weeks in Cape Town, South Africa visiting our daughter Michelle who is studying at the University of Cape Town (UCT) for a semester. Students tend to eat cheaply and quickly. Michelle has found several wonderful Farmers Markets to buy fresh ingredients to cook at home. One of them is located at The Old Biscuit Mill, in Woodstock. Also located there is The Test Kitchen.

The Test Kitchen offers a 3 course, 5 course or a la carte menu, as well as a vegetarian 3 course and a la carte menu. Gail ordered the Grilled Scallops which came with asparagus, tofu miso suke, braised scallop dressing, miso on toast, braised shitake, raw shitake. Michelle had a vegetarian tofu with 3 types of red cabbage. We all three shared a dessert. The presentation was as beautiful as the food was delicious. Here are some photos.

Should you ever find yourself in Cape Town South Africa, I recommend highly that you try to get a reservation at The Test Kitchen. Here is a tip, while dinner reservations are booked several months in advance, you can often get a lunch reservation only a few weeks ahead of time.