Salsify: A dining adventure that exemplifies Cape Town cuisine

Luke Dale-Roberts has had an exceptional year, including appearing on The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2018 list and a successful turn in The Test Kitchen Mauritius pop-up restaurant.

Dale-Roberts’s latest venture Salsify at The Roundhouse in Camps Bay, Cape Town, is for the history books – literally.

The Roundhouse has a long history: starting as a hunting lodge in the early 1800s for Lord Charles Somerset. Last month, it opened its doors again with a brand new venture – and it’s pretty exciting.

Salsify does two things: it provides Dale-Roberts’ partner, chef Ryan Cole a way to exemplify Cape Town cuisine, while providing more traditional dining charm that’s different to The Test Kitchen and The Potluck Club. It also incorporates an immersive atmosphere thanks to an artistic takeover of the historic building.

Salsify is on the upper level of The Roundhouse and features avant-garde graffiti by international street artist Louis de Villiers, aka Skull Boy, and a focal 1.3m bronze sculpture by local sculptor Otto du Plessis, also known as Salsify.

General Manager Markus Fiedler, Chef Ryan Cole and Chef Luke Dale Roberts

The artistic area leads into a traditional dining space, with views over the Atlantic Ocean, white linen, and everything you would expect from a fine-dining experience. It’s a solid start for the many first-time diners that now have to include the space in their Cape Town dining adventures.

The first tasting menu is also deeply invested in providing a counter-balance the hot Cape Town summer and features three fish dishes. It also honours the name of the restaurant in some ways.

Salsify is a root vegetable with an oyster-like flavour, popular in old French and modern British cuisine. The fresh taste is something that shines through on the menu, starting with a Spring Minestrone of roast octopus, an oyster and sea herbs. The breezy dish is a welcome moment to forget about the beating sun.

It’s followed by tuna, line fish before a hearty beef sirloin and two desserts – roasted pineapple, coconut cake, and goats kefir ice.

However, Salsify features an a la carte menu, which unlike many similar experiences opens it up to diners to make their experience their own.

Roasted pineapple, coconut cake, and goats kefir ice

“I think it’s important to honour the legacy of The Roundhouse and to do justice with seriously good quality food and service,” says Cole. “We want to really push boundaries of flavour and technique but we’re not trying to be a Test Kitchen, we will develop our own signature and style as we go.”

They seem to have found that early on: the kitchen operates effortlessly and quickly.

There’s a lot to be said for a space outside of the city bowl and the winelands that offers this sort of experience without feeling exhausted and over-reaching.

Salsify is a fine-dining middle ground, reasonably priced with all the flair a customer wants. Bookings, however, start at the beginning of each month, and considering that the restaurant is still new and will only get busier, now is the time to call them for a food escape.

For more information visit Salsify.

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