Last week, my business partner and I had the pleasure of dining at The Pot Luck Club. I have been fortunate enough to have eaten here before, and I was absolutely thrilled to see that they had a lunch special running. There are two menu options, one at R550 per person, and one at R750. Lucky me, I actually preferred the look of the dishes on the less expensive menu.

So, I excitedly made the booking, and a couple days later, off we went. We arrived and were warmly greeted by the front of house and were taken to our table. We had the most beautiful view of table mountain, and the city of Cape Town. I thoroughly enjoy the decor too, wooden finishes, a minimalistic aesthetic, and an open kitchen, which I always enjoy.

We ordered a bottle of sparkling water and looked through the menu. I mean, I already knew it off by heart by this stage, but it’s always good to reread to get the mouth watering.

I wasn’t drinking, as I was driving, so I stuck to my water. But, more room for food, am I right?

"I could and I would drink it."

To my delight, it was time for our first course. These two perfectly golden and generously filled “tacos” were placed between us. They were even more beautiful than the photos I had obsessively stalked online.

Between the crisp shells was the freshest looking ceviche along with various other components. You are encouraged to use your hands, quite frankly I’m not too sure how else you could have tackled it. But personally, I love it, it always tastes better that way. My first bite was heavenly. From the flavour to the texture of all the different elements, everything just worked so well together. My favourite part of this dish was the chipotle dressing, it added such a lovely sweet spice. It really complimented the fresh fish.

The next course was the sashimi. This is definitely one of the most beautiful dishes I’ve ever been served, and it was rather generous too. The best way to describe this, is it tasted pretty? If that makes any sense. It was herbaceous, with the edible flowers and the fresh mint. It was also very well balanced with the sweetness from the citrus and then saltiness from the dashi pearls. However, it wasn’t my favourite. It was really delicious when you got all the elements in one bite, but I found the ratios of the elements were a bit off.

The next course was something I was really looking forward to, and it did not disappoint. It was the fish sliders. How could you not be excited by that? Again, the photos online did not do it justice. Two stacked mini burgers arrived at the table. My jaw dropped, absolutely stunning, and bigger than I thought they would be. Best believe I took no time at all to get involved. I picked up the warm and soft bun of perfection and took a big bite. Wow. The bread was fluffy and light, the hake was crispy and not oily at all, and mayo added a lovely creaminess, and then the dressing cut all the rich flavours. This is definitely one of the best sliders I have ever had. If you’re sceptical about fish burgers, get over it, now.

After the previous course, I didn’t expect it to get better than that, but it did. I know I’ve said this before, but I am going to have to say it again. The next course is one of the best meals I have ever had. Why you may ask? The sauce. I could and I would drink it. Next up, we have smoked beef fillet on a bed of black pepper and truffle cafe au loit AKA, the best sauce in the world. Accompanied by the fillet was chickpea fries filled with goats cheese AKA cheesy golden sticks that you should definitely dip in that sauce. This dish left me lost for words. The beef was perfectly cooked, the heavenly sauce was rich and decadent, and the fries were just divine. This dish made my day.

Last, but not least we have dessert. I enjoyed this a lot more than I thought I would. Why I say that, is because I’m a sucker for rich warm desserts, but this might have broadened my horizons a bit. This course consisted of four different small bites, and I thoroughly enjoyed all of them. I love variety and the contrast. I would highly recommend eating them in a specific order. Why? I think it’s nice to go from a sweeter one, then a less sweet one and alternate so that it isn’t too overpowering. I started with the nougat, it was generously filled with nuts and not too sweet. Next, I had the raspberry mochi, it was incredibly flavourful and sweet, but in the best way. After that, I went with the salted caramel, it was the perfect balance of sweet and salty (as said in the name), I also enjoyed the cocoa nibs on top, it added some necessary bitterness. Lastly, I had the tropica bomb. It was light and delicious with a good amount of tartness from maybe passion fruit?
It was a perfect way to end a perfect lunch.

Overall, I had a phenomenal experience. I was truly blown away. I had dined here before, but this time was even better than what I remembered.
It’s honestly so difficult for me to pick a favourite dish. Everything was fantastic. A truly memorable lunch, I’ll be dreaming of that sauce for a while. I highly, highly, highly recommend!
Thank you Pot Luck Club!

Till next time!