Winter with Luke Dale Roberts: Light lunches, street food and the city’s most coveted brunch

The Luke Dale Roberts Group of Restaurants welcomes winter with a reimagined set of offerings across its portfolio, launching from 4 May 2026 until the end of October 2026.

Each restaurant presents a distinct experience, reflecting Luke Dale Roberts’ travels, inspirations and commitment to flavour-driven, approachable dining.

The Test Kitchen Fledgelings: Fun, shared dining experience

At The Test Kitchen Fledgelings, winter brings a playful, street food-inspired à la carte menu during lunch and dinner service. Guests are encouraged to order a variety of dishes and share between the table, creating a fun and casual dining experience.

The menu includes vetkoek with smoked snoek pâté, oysters with dill mignonette (pictured), Korean fried chicken, lamb and kingklip kebabs, mushrooms on toast, bone marrow on brioche, and the signature beef slider.

The format is intentionally flexible, allowing guests to move seamlessly between lighter small plates and more substantial dishes – perfect for casual get-togethers, shared family-style dining or a relaxed meal with friends.

Fledgelings operates as a fully fledged, professional restaurant led by a team of highly skilled, experienced chefs, many of whom have grown within the programme and now mentor emerging talent. This creates an environment where refined, flavour-forward dishes and polished service go hand in hand with meaningful skills development.

À la carte options range from R70 to R275 per person.

The Pot Luck Club Cape Town: PLC Winter Feast

The Pot Luck Club Cape Town introduces the PLC Winter Feast, a new lunch concept inspired by Luke’s early experiences in Asia, particularly Korea. The idea of a table buffet is brought directly to guests, served in Japanese crockery including toban ceramic dishes specially imported for the season.

The meal unfolds in three waves – cold starters, warm mains and dessert – creating a natural rhythm that is both generous and manageable. Guests begin with bread dumplings, inspired by dombolo, and burnt yuzu and miso butter, bringing a comforting, nostalgic element with a subtle Japanese twist. Malay-style prawn tacos and Japanese vegetable salad. Heartier dishes follow, including tonkatsu, Sichuan beer-braised duck, and kingklip tobanyaki with Koshihikari rice. Dessert features Japanese cheesecake with poached strawberries and roasted sesame ice cream.

Says Luke: “For me, this style of eating is all about connection, it’s communal, it’s generous and it brings a real sense of comfort, which is exactly what you want in the winter months. Some of my earliest and most inspiring experiences were in Asia, particularly Korea, where food is deeply rooted in sharing and seasonality.

“I’ve always been drawn to the balance, the respect for ingredients, and the way a meal brings people together around the table – that’s something I’m incredibly passionate about, and it’s what we wanted to capture with the PLC Winter Feast.”

The price for the Winter Feast menu is R695 per person.

The Pot Luck Club Cape Town: Sunday Brunch Winter Extravaganza

Returning on 10 May 2026, The Pot Luck Club’s Sunday Brunch Winter Extravaganza remains one of Cape Town’s most coveted weekend experiences. Guests enjoy a 10-course menu accompanied by bottomless bubbles and a DIY Bloody Mary station with house-infused vodkas and an array of garnishes.

The brunch begins with dishes such as smoked oysters served with passion fruit nước chấm, followed by a delicate prawn taco. Guests move on to brioche with quail egg, porcini hollandaise and mushroom duxelles, and a punchy venison tartare with raisin and hazelnut XO. A Pot Luck interpretation of the classic Arnold Bennett baked smoked haddock omelette leads into a carrot risotto with pistachio pesto, followed by roast duck with foie gras. Dessert features a sticky rice pudding with tropical fruit, and a whimsical selection of PLC sweets.

Live jazz music adds to the lively, social atmosphere, making the brunch as much about experience as it is about flavour.

“The brunch is about long, relaxed Sundays,” says Jason Kosmas, executive chef. “Guests settle in, enjoy the pace, the flavours, the music and the atmosphere – it’s lively, social and entirely memorable.”

Priced at R1 390 per person, the brunch runs until the end of October 2026. (Please note that dishes are subject to change according to seasonal availability.)

The Pot Luck Club Johannesburg: Light and flavour-forward lunches

In Johannesburg, the winter lunchtime offering focuses on time-savvy dining, providing fresh, lighter fare that is still big on flavour.

The Prix Fixe Light menu offers diners a relaxed daytime dining experience, ideal for quick business lunches, catching up with friends or special celebrations. Dishes include the infamous Taco 2.0 with linefish ceviche, Japanese tuna tartare with avocado and yuzu, roasted beetroot with cocoa nib XO, grilled kingklip, and a refreshing apple and fennel dessert.

The carefully considered menu features lighter ingredients including leaner proteins and seasonal fruits and vegetables, while still retaining the bold, punchy ‘Pot Luck Club’ flavours we all love.

A new zero % cocktail menu is available, offering a thoughtful alternative to wine and alcoholic beverages for the sober-curious.

This menu is especially aimed at diners who are mindful of wellness and enjoy healthy, balanced meals without compromising on taste.

For those seeking a more indulgent experience, the Prix Fixe Loaded menu features classic Pot Luck Club favourites including crispy octopus with chorizo, fish sliders with miso mayo, smoked beef fillet with black pepper and café au lait, and a choice of mouthwatering desserts.

The Prix Fixe Light menu is R545 per person sharing, and available for lunch only; while the Prix Fixe Loaded menu is R845 per person sharing, and available for lunch and dinner.

A season of flavour and exploration

“Winter is a time for comfort, but also for revisiting ideas and presenting them in new ways,” says Luke. “I’ve always drawn from my experiences working in restaurants around the world; the techniques, flavours and approaches I’ve learnt continue to influence how I create menus today.

“Across the group, we’ve created experiences that are familiar yet surprising, flavourful and designed for sharing.”

Winter menus will be available from 4 May 2026 at The Pot Luck Club Cape Town and Johannesburg, and The Test Kitchen Fledgelings. The Sunday Brunch Winter Extravaganza launches on 10 May 2026. Menus may change without notice. Vegetarian and pescatarian options available. Vegan, alcohol-free and allium-free menus are not available.