Luke Dale-Roberts Restaurant, The Saxon, Johannesburg, South Africa

Fancy a gourmet tea pairing with a degustation dinner instead of wine? It’s just one of the highlights on offer at the elegant Luke Dale-Roberts restaurant at Johannesburg’s stunning Saxon Hotel where the tasting menu stars. Dale-Roberts is one of Africa’s most talented chefs and a name synonymous with the finest and most creative food in the country. Opened last May, it is one of the hottest restaurants around offering a luxurious experience amid aqua and green themed decor with specially made tableware.

The tasting menu is a culinary adventure with eight courses that taste as good as they look.

The menu features tomato with semi-dried tomatoes, aubergine, goats cheese and olives, delicious tuna tartare, wagyu scottati and crayfish braai served with curried carrots, compressed apple, honeycomb and lime. Smoked quail breast, poached langoustine, charred corn and pancetta follows with a break before the pan seared springbok loin arrives and melts in your mouth. For dessert the White Forest Koeksister mousse with lime wax and milk sorbet is a divine finish to a dinner that would please the taste gods.

The impressive wine list features both international and African offerings, and as for the tea pairing–rooibos, green tea, oolong and puh’er complement the delicate flavours and are poured with a flourish by a tea master. Impressive? Totally. saxon.co.za