JANE MAYNE
Pre-starter bread course offerings often outplay mains at many top eateries, and The Test Kitchen Fledgelings’ deliciously salty amagwinya (vetkoek) accompanied by smoked snoek pâté comes close to achieving this!
Setting the pace on Luke Dale Roberts’ Winter Street Food Fiesta menu, this doughy delight leads to what he calls a “sequence of small, punchy plates which have a little bit of a street food feel to it – so there’s some kind of a disposable, sustainable [element] going on.”
He adds that, “We wanted to make it a little more casual than what we normally do on the à la carte menu, as Fledgelings really embodies fun dining as opposed to fine dining, so we have pushed the limits as far as we can in terms of taste, flavour and presentation.”
Street food-inspired à la carte menu
The Luke Dale Roberts group of restaurants has welcomed winter with a reimagined set of meals across its portfolio, and these can be enjoyed until the end of October 2026. Each restaurant presents a unique experience, reflecting his travels, inspirations, and commitment to flavour-driven, approachable dining – and this season Fledgelings hones in on dishes made to share.
What winter brings is a playful, street food-inspired à la carte menu, which is available during lunch and dinner service. Guests are encouraged to order a variety of dishes and share between the table, creating a casual dining experience.
Kebabs, sliders, tacos
Plates to choose from include oysters with dill mignonette and diced red onion; and crispy Korean fried chicken with smokey chipotle mayo and kimchi pineapple. There’s a choice of kebabs: slow cooked lamb rump with rosemary velouté, and rosemary and tomato teriyaki; or a line fish kebab which is a tasty amasi and curry marinated kingklip dressed with yogurt and coriander.
The signature TTK beef slider consists of a Japanese milk bun with truffle mayo, red onion, pickled cucumber and cheddar cheese. Then there’s bone marrow on brioche toast topped with salsa verde.
For those leaning more towards vegetarian taste bites there’s pan seared mushrooms on brioche toast accompanied by Branston Pickles, parmesan and hollandaise. I also sampled a delicious off-menu item – a creation using charred sweet potato as the base and decorated with broccoli and mushrooms, and finished off on top with crispy cabbage and feta cheese.
In-service training
Under the mentorship of restaurateur Luke Dale Roberts, ‘fledgeling’ chefs here learn the trade while working. One product of this in-service training is the restaurant’s Head Chef Nathan Clarke.
Roberts shares that, “He cut his teeth at Test Kitchen, so he knows good food and fine dining and flavour. He’s at a point now where he’s coming up with new dishes, such as our fish taco, and he hits it on the mark every time. He’s at the point where he understands exactly what is going on the plate, which is for me one of the proudest things I could have achieved with him.”
The Winter Street Food Fiesta menu is available during both lunch and dinner service until the end of October, 2026. The menu encourages guests to order across the table, moving between lighter plates and more substantial dishes.
With dishes priced between R70 and R275, the experience captures Fledgelings’ flavour forward approach while continuing its commitment to skills development through a team of highly trained chefs mentoring emerging culinary talent.
For Test Kitchen Fledgelings reservations, see here.
What: Test Kitchen Fledgelings Winter Street Food Fiesta menu
Where: The Old Biscuit Mill, 375 Albert Road, Woodstock, Cape Town
When: Until 31 October 2026
TTK Fledgelings Hours:
Open Monday – Saturday for Dinner 18h00 – 20h00, last orders 20h30 – Closes 23h00
Open Thursday – Saturday for Lunch 12h00 – 13h30
Call: 021 447 2337
Hashtags: @ttkfledgelings, @cheflukedaleroberts, #LDRwinter
WS
