I checked out the much talked about Shortmarket Club

About two weeks ago, my friend Janine from Being Brazen was invited to do a review of The Shortmarket Club – the latest restaurant by top chef & restaurant extraordinaire Luke Dale-Roberts.

When she asked me to be her date, I was like nah… I’m washing my hair that evening…  Of course not people! I said yessss!  I mean you do not turn down a Luke Dale-Roberts dining experience OK…

The restaurant is very sexy with a bit of a 1920s feel.  There’s some overflow seating on the bar & kitchen side as you walk in:

But the main dining area is where you really want to be:

Trust me – if anybody took you on a date here, he/she would be marriage material for sure… It’s simply gorgeous.

But of course, the ultimate test is the food…

You can have a look at their menu over here.  They do breakfasts (which I’d say is a pocket friendly way to try them out if you can’t invest in a lunch/dinner) and then their starters range from R75 to R130, their mains range from R140 to R300, and their desserts range from R80 to R110.

For starters our waiter (who really was excellent btw) recommended the Raw Market Fish (R110) and the Trout Tataki (R130).

For mains I decided to try their chestnut & fynbos roasted petit poussin (R200) – I had seen so many photos of it on my Instagram feed, I just knew I had to try it:

Then Janine went for the Oak Valley rib eye on the bone (R300) which she paired with some duck fat roasted potatoes:

For dessert I opted for the caramelized lemon tart (R80) which truly was one of the nicest desserts I’ve had in a very long time:

And Janine opted for the chocolate souffle (R110) which was nice, but we both agreed that my choice won the prize for best dessert by far…

So yeah, overall a very cool experience.  Loved the decor.  Loved the feel of the place.  The service is excellent and the “showmanship” that goes into the dishes will certainly get your photos aaaall the likes.

The only thing I have to say I’m really on the fence about is the pricing.  I’m going to start with the wine – that bottle of Eagles Nest 2012 Merlot was R420.  A few nights later I had dinner at La Colombe (will be telling you guys about that soon – what an incredible experience!) where we ordered the exact same bottle of wine – same vintage and everything – and it cost R320.  That’s a whole R100 less.  Hmmmm…

By the time we had ordered drinks (R420) and two starters (R110 + R130), we were already R660 in – which I have to say would hurt a little for most people I think.

Now I’m not saying the experience isn’t worth it.  I’m just saying that Cape Town has other restaurant choices which are equally beautiful & where I’ve had equally tasty (& in some instances better) meals at a lower price.

That said – we really did enjoy our evening at The Shortmarket Club and I’d say if price wasn’t a concern, go ahead & splurge away.

I’m going to give The Shortmarket Club a score of  on my Miss K Kiss-o-Meter scale.

To make a reservation you can call them on 021 447 28 74 or email them at info@theshortmarketclub.co.za.

They are open Mon to Sat for:

• Breakfast: 08:00 – 11:00
• Lunch : 12:30 – 14:30
• Dinner : 19:00- 11:00

And you’ll find them at 88 Shortmarket Street – right next to House of Machines.

xxx