Some meals are enjoyable, but others stay with you long after you leave the table. The Pot Luck Club‘s new Winter Feast is definitely one of those memorable experiences.
The Pot Luck Club sits high above Cape Town in its well-known industrial-chic spot at the Old Biscuit Mill. It’s still one of the city’s most exciting places to eat. The atmosphere feels both polished and playful. Warm lights reflect off Japanese ceramics, conversations fill the space, and the open kitchen lets you catch glimpses of the chefs at work.
This winter, Head Chef Jason Kosmas and founder Luke Dale Roberts have created a lunch inspired by Asian communal dining, especially from Korea. The idea comes from Luke’s early travels, but it’s Kosmas and his team who make it special with their skill and creativity. Instead of single plates, dishes come out in groups, making it easy to share, talk, and enjoy a relaxed winter meal.
And what a feast it is.
The opening spread arrives with bread dumplings inspired by dombolo, accompanied by what may very well be one of the most addictive sauces currently being served in Cape Town: burnt yuzu and miso butter.
Calling it butter doesn’t quite do it justice. Once it settles in the bowl, it becomes more like a rich, savoury broth, full of umami and bright citrus flavours. It’s so good you’ll want to drink it straight from the bowl, even if you know you shouldn’t. Honestly, I could eat it every day.
The tacos look simple, but they’re filled with juicy prawns and topped with crunchy cabbage slaw. They have just the right mix of richness, crunch, and acidity. Each bite is both comforting and fresh, and they disappear so fast that everyone wonders if it’s okay to order more.
A Japanese vegetable salad offers a lighter counterpoint before the heartier dishes begin arriving.
The mains continue the feast’s theme of abundance and generosity. Tonkatsu panko-fried pork delivers a satisfying crunch, while the Sichuan beer-braised duck brings depth and warmth that feel tailor-made for a cold Cape Town afternoon.
But the undisputed star of the table is the Kingklip Toban Yaki. Served in a beautiful imported ceramic toban dish, the kingklip arrives nestled among shiitake mushrooms, bok choy, baby corn and spring onions. The fish is perfectly cooked, delicate yet substantial, allowing the vegetables and broth to shine alongside it.
And that broth. Once again, The Pot Luck Club demonstrates an almost unfair mastery of liquid gold. Deeply savoury, aromatic and layered with flavour, it transforms the entire dish into something extraordinary. Before long, everyone at the table is searching for something, anything, to dip into it. Rice, vegetables, fish, a spoon, it hardly matters. Like the burnt yuzu and miso butter that preceded it, this is another broth worthy of drinking by the bucket.
Just when you think you’re too full for dessert, the Japanese soufflé cheesecake appears.
It’s light and delicate, somewhere between cheesecake, baked custard, and soufflé. Instead of being too sweet, it has a gentle richness and an airy texture that melts in your mouth. With poached strawberries and roasted sesame ice cream, it ends the meal in a simple, elegant way.
It’s the perfect way to finish a winter feast.
What really makes the PLC Winter Feast stand out is its generous spirit. Led by Head Chef Jason Kosmas, the menu is designed for sharing, conversation, and trying new things. It brings out the warmth and comfort of winter dining, while also showing off the creativity and skill that have made The Pot Luck Club so well known in South Africa.
The Winter Feast
Where: The Pot Luck Club, The Old Biscuit Mill, Woodstock, Cape Town
Menu: Five waves of dishes including cold starters, warm mains and dessert
Price: R695 per person
Highlights: Bread dumplings with burnt yuzu and miso butter, brawn tacos with cabbage slaw, Kingklip Toban Yaki with Koshihikari rice, Japanese soufflé cheesecake with poached strawberries and roasted sesame ice cream
Bookings: www.thepotluckclub.co.za | 021 447 0804
This seasonal lunch offering This special lunch is available all winter and is a great reason to get friends together for a relaxed afternoon of comfort food in Cape Town.