This is the most expensive restaurant in Joburg, but is it the best?

10 June 2016 - 02:00 By Shanthini Naidoo

Here are some perplexing thoughts. Do Joburgers enjoy experiences because they pay obscene amounts of money for them? Or do they enjoy paying huge amounts of money for experiences? Are any of these experiences worth experiencing anyway?

It was with this in mind that I visited acclaimed chef Luke Dale Roberts’ restaurant at The Saxon hotel, which has just launched its autumn/winter menu. LDR X at the Saxon, a 40-seater, has been a foodie talking point since the masterful chef David Higgs put his name to it a few years ago.

The decor was garish (remember the giant silver noodles on the wall?). The chef, stormy and gorgeous to watch. But the food was phenomenal. It was expected of Higgs, who had developed his reputation for artfully plated, delicious, local food in the Cape for a decade.

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When Higgs moved on, LDR was lured with a pop-up at the hotel which proved successful. While he is not overly present at the restaurant, his dishes are. It was essentially the fine dining, quirky, trendy and delicious cuisine that earned Roberts’ Cape Town restaurants at the charming Old Biscuit Mill, positions on the world’s Top 50 places to eat lists.

The Saxon “experience” has done well in the hands of talented Saxon head chef Candice Philip and Robert’s sous Ryan Cole. Roberts recycled star dishes from The Test Kitchen.

A price tag of R2,000, with wine, per person, it is a small fortune. A monthly grocery bill for a small family.

Yet, people dressed up and brought their credit cards. They raved. Are they paying to pay, or is it actually enjoyable? Here is a dish-by-dish analysis of the new menu.

The experience begins with a chauffeured drive in a limousine Mercedes, from the parking area where the deputy president’s entourage is checking out a Lamborghini.

You are ushered by a doorman (who also takes photos if you wish to unashamedly embarrass yourself), to the glass elevator which gives you a view of the lawns and sculptures. The dining area is intimate, the decor refreshed, the noodle artwork gone. The open kitchen is against one wall to peek at the tweezers, smoking pots and glass jellies.

Choose your selection of local or international wine, or Yswara tea pairing.

THE BREAD BASKET:

(Oooh, aaah.)

WINE: It comes with a welcome drink, Laurent Perrier champagne, served ice cold and crisp to wake up your taste buds and brain.

The home-made breads hid onion, miso, red wine and buchu infusions.

The accompaniments are tiny wonders. “Caramelised Onion and Cashew Pesto, Smoked Butter with Korean Chilli Oil.” Butter and smoke are a revelation, and the chilli took it somewhere else. Close your eyes and you could imagine a dairy in Asia, that caught fire. A phenomenon was born.

The bread would have been a nice snack by itself on an ordinary day. But today, it was a hint of what was to come.

SEASONAL APPETISER:

(Raring to go, can we start already!)

Wine: Champagne cocktail with lemon verbena.Sadly, reminded me too much of bath soap.

Roasted Cauliflower Espuma with Shiitake Mushroom and Chestnut. Firstly, espuma is a foam which serves as a hint of flavour and has a bubbly texture. Roasted cauliflower is nutty and works with the chestnut. The mushroom was earthy with a custard texture, which made for an interesting tongue sensation. But was it tasty? Definitely. A visit to a forest floor.

Sweet Corn Chou Mushi and Langoustine: More smoke, this time added to the sweetness in the corn, then an alternate sweetness in the plump langoustine. Enchanting mixes of flavours, you want to see Roberts and shake his hand.

Venison Carpaccio with Dutch Cheese Catalan and Tree Tomato Chutney. It looked and felt like rose petals, then tart with the cheese and chutney. Two thumbs up.

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2nd COURSE:

(I was ready for more. The appetisers were small, delightful but not filling)

Wine: Pouilly Fume

With the fragrant regional wine, the clean and fresh Sea Bass Ceviche also had a smoke element, charred broccoli, which I found overwhelmingly charred... bitter burnt bits. But spiced hazelnut salsa, lemon miso aioli, made up for it and you would slurp it up like a hungry kitten.

3rd COURSE:

(My most anticipated, and favourite)

WINE: San Pietro Gavi Cortesse

Lamb Scottati, tender cubes smoked in a cement ball which is presented at the table, then annoyingly removed for plating. With Luke’s XO dressing, an umami explosion, plus the element of the night, smoked bone marrow. Lived up to all expectations then retired in style with a radish salad and fiery slivers of red pepper.

4th COURSE:

(The lighter one, before the heavy)

WINE: William Fevre, unwooded Chablis

Foie Gras Mie Cuit with toasted macadamia puree, rooibos-poached quince and jelly, smoked free-range chicken breast, smoked cinnamon dressing. My mind and mouth are tiring from deciphering the ingredients. But the artwork that appears is one to watch with a tilted head, then dig in. Mie Cuit means semi-cooked. The tea-poaching is familiar rooibos happiness, paired with its friend, cinnamon. The smoky chicken loved the puréed nut.

Option: A smoked salmon, with squid ink beurre noisette (nutty butter), lemon and dashi dressing, sounded good but was absolutely bland. It has now been replaced by a pan-fried fish dish.

5th COURSE:

(Another light. My palate is feeling overstimulated but ready to go, after it was cleansed)

WINE: Dom Roulot Bourgogne Blanc

Char-grilled scallop with char-grilled green beans (sense the theme yet?), cured tofu cream, toasted onion and black garlic salsa. A lovely fat scallop, treated well with smoke.

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6th COURSE:

(Nearly full but still engaged)

WINE: Pascal Jolivet Pinot Noir

Well, if my taste buds were tiring late into the evening, the pork belly screamed “Don’t miss me!”

It was the best preparation of a dish that is generally overdone in the South African fine dining landscape. Marbled, moist, it was buttery but with a defined crispness in the skin. Compressed parsley apples, blue cheese dressing; we are in the game again.

Option: Pan-seared springbok loin, with liver and sage stuffing, beetroot emulsion. Also great, but this little piggy won the race.

7th COURSE:

(When you’ve had enough, what is one more? I am also quite tipsy, having had sips of 6 glasses of wine)

WINE: Domaine Montille Pinot Noir

Confit duck breast, duck liver, figs and BBQ meringue. Of all the smoking methods, this was the most innovative. Meringue should always been prepared this way. The duck was perfect, but this could have been an “or” course. I was starting to feel like I had eaten a menagerie and was feeling piqued, ethically.

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8th COURSE:

(Finally, dessert!)

WINE: Pol Roger Riche

Fennel, lime, coconut. I have not yet figured out the gel worms were nice to look at or not, but they were fun to eat. Fennel curd, lime sponge and coconut sorbet could fit on a summer menu, but warm up with the aniseed flavour and coconut, even though it was a cold dessert. A tongue-tingling curiosity.

Option: Why not end with a “simple” rice pudding? Ha.

Rice pudding with (suitable adjective, there are none left for yummy) caramelised, naartjie sponge, tuille, rice pudding ice cream. Now we can say “Good Night”.

VERDICT:

(An experience or an expensive way to burn money?)

Sorry to buy into the hedonism, this is an experience that is worth the enormous amount you pay for it. There is lots of smoke and it is on fire. Techniques, time, produce and the intricacy of the menu are something you should try once in a lifetime, at least. Save up for it if food is your thing. You will leave satisfied and overwhelmed. Roberts's recipes are a success.