Cape Town’s food scene is eclectic and one of a kind. Coming from Scandinavia, it feels refreshing. Less caution, more flavour. And The Pot Luck Club is very much part of that.
Set on the top floor of a silo at the Old Biscuit Mill in Woodstock, with views over Cape Town and Table Mountain, the restaurant serves dishes designed for sharing.
It was fully booked when we went, and apparently that is nothing unusual here. Around sixty guests on the first seating, around seventy on the second. The buzz level hovered around 75 to 80 dB. So yes, it is loud.
But there is a heart to the place.
Not in a polished, choreographed way. More in the way the room moves, the way the service never feels hollow, and the way the kitchen just keeps pushing. The dishes arrive when they are ready, and somehow the whole thing holds together.
We sat down, ordered drinks. My wife chose a Tom Yum cocktail, which was superb. When she eats Thai or spicy food, she often goes for cocktails instead of wine.
That left me with a glass of Pinot Noir from Bouchard Finlayson in Hermanus. The 2021 Galpin Peak, served from magnum, was elegant and precise, with the kind of cool-climate restraint that makes Hemel-en-Aarde Pinot worth seeking out.
Order sheets from December 2018 and March 2026. The numbers tell the story.
You write your own order on a sheet of paper and hand it over. They hand it back once it is logged. Simple, and somehow satisfying.
What struck us was the number printed in the top left corner.
You write your own order, hand it over, and they hand it back to you. We did not think much of it at the time. Only later, when we looked at the two pictures side by side, did it hit us.
Ticket 213848 in 2026. Ticket 93509 from our first visit in December 2018.
A difference of 120,339 dishes served between our two visits.
We were clearly not missed.
From the first dish to the last, it is all about flavour. Proper flavour. Not one plate trying to be cleverer than the next, just dish after dish with real conviction behind it.
We ordered the Penang Pork Belly, Smoked Beef Fillet, Tom Kha Gai, Asian Pickled Salad, and the Mozambique langoustine tail as a special, arriving in a stone bowl hibachi.
That was the one. The dish to remember.
Perfectly cooked on the shell, right at that precise point between raw and overdone, with a gentle smokiness, natural sweetness, and just a subtle hint of spice. Nothing overworked. Just confidence.
The Smoked Beef Fillet appeared on our order sheet in 2018 as well. It is still there, still earning its place.
The flavours were bold, often spicy, and carried by a kitchen that clearly knows exactly what kind of restaurant it wants to be. If anything, we wished for a little more variation in ingredients from dish to dish. But only a little.
Restaurants like this can sometimes become too pleased with themselves. Too smooth. Too aware of their own reputation.
Not here.
Jason Kosmas took over the kitchen in February 2019, shortly after our first visit in December 2018.
Whether it is the kitchen, the chef, or our own palates, the dishes feel sharper now.
Probably all three.
The Pot Luck Club is loud, busy, and full when we were there.
That is not luck. That is the food.
Note: A small note for the parking attendants making people feel comfortable while they wait for their ride. In Cape Town, that matters. Tip them. Do not be a dull tourist.
Share your feedback in the comments below.
