An interesting concept, where cooking students can learn on a high level: Restaurant The Test Kitchen Fledgelings (1. December 2023)

The Test Kitchen Fledgelings was a recommendation of a friend, so I decided to give it a try and went for the “Tasting Menu” (950 ZAR), which started with “bread & paté spread”, which was quite lovely and promising. Only later, when meeting him, I realised that the concept of the place is really for ‘students’ to learn gastronomy, hence, there is not necessarily ‘high consistency’ in terms of delivery in all dishes.

In any case, since I didn’t like the oysters as an option, and they offered an alternative, I decided to go for the “rice crisps” instead, and they were actually nice. So, so far, I was quite excited by what I had been served.

The “yellowtail sashimi (coconut & fig leaf broth, lime, parsley, cucumber, lime jelly, ricotta cheese, kaitaffi)” changed that a bit. It was somehow not too well-balanced in my personal opinion, and the ‘straw on top’ was really somewhat too much, so the dish wasn’t to my liking (not bad, but just really nothing exquisite).

However, the “kudu bresoala (truffle & garlic emulsion, Parmesan, redwine pickled mushrooms & chickpea crouton)” kind of changed that again. This dish was not only interesting, but also super enjoyable in terms of flavour and texture combination. I especially liked the emulsion with the kudu, and if you finished it off with lemon, it really worked!

The “Cape Malay Prawn Ssam (curry battered prawn, cape malay salad, gem lettuce, coriander and yogurt mayo)” somehow was both, great, and not. The slaw, which was kind of the base of the dish, was overpowering if you would try to evenly mix the different ingredients in your mouth (on your fork). But the part with the prawn was actually quite enjoyable. So, here, I didn’t really know what to think of this.

Luckily, the “springbok (beetroot, polenta, kale, coffee jus)” really got it out again! The meat was so tender and delicious – especially in combination with the crunchy and crispy kale! The coffee jus would probably not have been my first choice in terms of combination, but it actually worked and was tasty.

I also liked the last course, the “lemon & nectarine tart (Swiss meringue, elderflower ice cream, nectarine compote)” was nice and sweet. Sure, it kind of went down right my alley in terms of flavours, so, it was easy to enjoy, for a dessert.

The place is in thus far nice, since it allows you to watch the guys in the kitchen, how they run around, prepare stuff, and are learning. From a pure food perspective, I’m torn 50/50. Some of the stuff was really great, other stuff was rather average. Sure, complaining on a high level, since nothing was bad. But hey, what is ambition for!

The concept of ‘responsibility for a table’ was interesting too. The waitress, who was “responsible” for the table, basically was there sometimes, but not always, and most often it was someone else bringing the dishes. So, not sure what ‘responsible for a table’ really means. In any case, everyone was super friendly and professional.

All in all, The Test Kitchen Fledgelings is a nice place you should try when you’re around Cape Town. The same chef also runs his main restaurant (where I suppose there is less ‘learning’ at work), which might also be worth trying. As always, book well in advance, as getting something last moment is almost impossible.

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Contact Details:

Restaurant The Test Kitchen Fledgelings

The Old Biscuit Mill

Albert Road 375

Woodstock

7915 Cape Town (ZA)

Tel.: +27 21 447 2337

E-Mail: hello@ttkf.co.za

Homepage: http://www.thetestkitchen.co.za

About the Author: Sven

I started the blog in October 2009, while living in Milan which I definitely consider to be one of the food capitals of the world. I was in touch with food since my early childhood (as my father is a former chef). Whenever I can, I travel the world to discover new places, to meet people but mostly to try local dishes and to find hidden gems! If you know a place worth going, please drop a line to: info@thediningexperience.org. Currently, I am a member of the following food-related associations: Chevalier @Chaîne des Rôtisseurs Zurich-Ville; Membre Gourmet Dégustateur @Ordre Mondial des Gourmets Dégustateurs [OMGD]; Gesellschafter @Goldener Fisch and Member @Slowfood Convivium Zurich City.