The man behind the best restaurant in South Africa

Luke Dale Roberts is the owner and head chef of Salon in Cape Town, which was voted the Best New Restaurant in Africa at the World Culinary Awards 2024. 

The restaurant is also widely considered one of the best restaurants in South Africa and is the latest of a string of dining experiences created by Roberts in Cape Town. 

While always interested in food and cooking, Roberts struggled to find a place where he could make his mark on the culinary world. 

Born in Punnett’s Town, a tiny village in England, Roberts grew up with traditional British flavours. 

In an interview with Ten Lifestyle, he explained that the town was dominated by its local butchery and greengrocer. 

However, Roberts was not going to be constrained by his local village for long, leaving for Switzerland to train as a chef with classical French techniques. 

He briefly returned to his homeland to work in restaurants and hone his skills. But again, Roberts felt constrained by traditional flavours and techniques. 

Wanting to pursue what he called ‘Global Cuisine,’ Roberts travelled across Asia for five years and worked at several high-end restaurants in Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea, and the Philippines. 

“My time in Europe taught me how to cook. My time in Asia broadened my horizons,” Roberts said at the launch of The Pot Luck Club, one of his handful of restaurants in Cape Town. 

The time in Asia introduced him to a type of restaurant where the kitchen was the centrepiece, which inspired the creation of Salon and some of Roberts’ other restaurants. 

After his arrival in Cape Town in 2006, Roberts kicked off a four-year tenure as the executive chef of La Colombe. 

This stint culminated in the restaurant winning the title of Acqua Panna Best Restaurant in Africa and Middle East 2010 and an amazing 12th place in the overall San Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2010.

In 2010, Roberts broke out on his own and launched the Test Kitchen, which rocked the culinary world. Time Magazine lauded the opening and said it was the day “Woodstock officially became Cape Town’s hottest district”. 

Inspired heavily by his time in Asia, Roberts put the kitchen in the centre of the restaurant and made the chefs the star of the show. 

The Test Kitchen’s combination of high-end food and atmosphere resulted in it winning the best restaurant in South Africa for six years in a row. It also ranked as the 61st-best restaurant in the world. 

After renovations, the restaurant was ranked among the top 50 restaurants in the world and was recognised as the best in Africa. 

The renovations also saw the unveiling of the now-famous Light Room and Dark Room concept. 

Forty privileged diners go on a culinary journey of 21 courses. The experience starts in The Dark Room, where guests share tapas-style dishes before moving to the formal The Light Room to finish the gastronomic adventure.

As its name implies, the Test Kitchen gives Roberts the space to innovate maximum as a chef, and the dishes are a pure reflection of his creativity with flavours and ingredients.

In early 2012, Roberts launched The Pot Luck Club, an intimate space with sweeping views over the city. This venture features a menu consisting of many ‘small plates’ of modern global dishes. 

There is also a dedicated cocktail bar and an accompanying list of boutique wines to complement the varied edible creations on the menu.

In 2016, Roberts collaborated on the concept of The Shortmarket Club, which launched in Cape Town’s city centre in June. 

Two years later, he drove the creation of Salsify at The Roundhouse. Headed by Chef Ryan Cole, who worked as head chef at The Test Kitchen for three years, Robers revived the historic Roundhouse venue.  

Salsify at The Roundhouse is yet another sensory experience whose arrival thrilled the gourmands of Cape Town with its root-to-leaf dining experience and bold design elements.

The launch of Salon

After years of not being an executive chef, Roberts had a point to prove wanted to return to his position behind the stove. 

“I wanted to take my food to the next level. I wanted to put the chequered pants and chef jacket on again and prove to myself that I could really cook.” 

Salon was the culmination of this drive and was Roberts’ departure into the world of fine dining. 

What makes the experience unique is the kitchen’s centrepiece status and the no-limits approach to dining. 

No cuisine is out of the question, with Roberts pursuing his dream of ‘Global Cuisine’. 

This restaurant also reflects Roberts’ intense focus on the atmosphere of a restaurant, going beyond food and flavour. 

“It is a small, intimate space where there is a tiny team in the kitchen, and it is all about the food and atmosphere.” 

Located on the first floor of the old grain silo in the Waterfront district, the restaurant was fashioned out of an empty warehouse space. 

This enabled Roberts to design the restaurant however he wanted it to be. He and his team transformed the space from a warehouse into a luxurious dining experience. 

The whole point of Salon is to be different to any other restaurant Roberts has done and any experience that exists. 

“I think that my food is, by default, different to everyone else’s because I do not copy anyone or any style,” Roberts said. 

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Luke Dale Roberts’ food