NEW ‘POT LUCK CLUB’ SET TO ROCK SA’S CULINARY WORLD

Published: 25 January 2013

CHEF LUKE DALE ROBERTS is proud to announce the imminent launch and opening of the brand new, eagerly anticipated Pot Luck Club, situated on the top floor of the Silo of the Old Biscuit Mill on Albert Road, Woodstock.

Luke has collaborated with renowned Cape Town based architect Greg Scot, along with some of the city’s foremost art and design personalities. These include: Peter Eastman (art and screens), Otto du Plessis (bronze work), Egon Tania (sculptor), Starry Eve Collett (furniture), Lawrence Friedman (wood design), Andrew Lawrence Gibson (artist) as well as Luke’s talented wife Sandalene (clothing and chair designs) who is also responsible for The Test Kitchen’s eye-catching and stylish waiter uniforms.

Taking the glass lift to the sixth level, your eye is immediately drawn to the custom-made Otto du Plessis bronze manhole with its wild boar motif, now synonymous with the Pot Luck branding, emblazoned in its centre. Stepping out of the lift onto a cobbled ‘street’ with herringbone chestnut floors.

The focal point, as in all of Luke and Sandalene’s restaurants, is the open plan kitchen which is illuminated by studio lighting. At the centre of this ‘stage’ is any professional chef’s dream, a 1.4 metre Robatta grill and range of Power woks. These are the engines that drive the majority of Pot Luck’s hot dishes imparting authentic flavours and colour.

Drawing from the best of the original Pot Luck Club & Gallery, the new restaurant will also feature the very popular plate-sharing concept. Sharing-plates will be cleverly divided into flavour profiles: salty, sour, bitter and umami (‘savoury’ in Japanese). Assisting with this unique menu, a team of highly trained floor staff will be on hand to guide patrons through their tailor-made experience.

Pot Luck’s food and menus will be based on inspiration Dale Roberts has gained from his extensive travels to South America, Europe, Asia and Africa.

Wesley Randles, who has worked with Luke for the past four years, has been appointed the new head chef of the re-branded and concise Pot Luck Club. Wesley was part of a team of three chefs that opened The Test Kitchen in late 2010 and has held the position of sous chef during this exciting growth period.

Simon Widdison has been appointed restaurant manager after holding a similar position at The Test Kitchen for the past two years where he and his team played no small part in clinching the No 1 position at the 2012 Eat Out Dstv Food Network Restaurant Awards.

Together, both Wesley and Simon opened the Pot Luck Club pop-up restaurant at the Neighbourhood Goods Market at the Old Biscuit Mill every Saturday while the new venue was in construction. “The pop-up has been the ideal opportunity for product development and testing”, explains Randles. “Here, we interact with the market’s visitors and receive instant and invaluable feedback on what guests appeal to”.

A pop-up Pot Luck Club is also currently on the international scene at Switzerland’s hottest ski destination, Verbier. Located at the stylish ski lodge Hotel Farinet, the pop-up Pot Luck is open for the duration of Verbier’s ski season and makes for an added ideal laboratory to test tastes and ingredients to a well-heeled audience.

As well as the lunch and dinner services, Pot Luck will open for Sunday Brunch complete with bubbly on offer. Dale Roberts’ new Sunday Brunch concept pays homage to his days in Singapore, where a similar offering was the city’s culinary highlight of the week. This exciting new addition will offer a casual way to explore the Pot Luck food concept where both families and friends can all relax and enjoy an excellent day out at a venue with jaw-dropping vistas of the Mother City and beyond.

Opening times:

Tues – Saturday: Lunch 12h30 – 14h30 / Dinner 18h00 – 22h30

Sunday: Brunch 11h30 – 15h00

The new Pot Luck Club is set to open early February. For reservations call 021 447 0804 or email reservations@thepotluckclub.co.za.