The Pot Luck Club Johannesburg — Restaurant in Gauteng

Update: 7 July 2024 We often visit Potluck club, and I must say they maintain their superior service and tasty, quality food! The set menu that they currently offer for lunch and dinner is fantastic - more than enough food. We always leave potluck club with a smile and satisfied. Thanx chef Ebie (sorry if a misspelled ur name) for your leadership and attention to detail in the kitchen. Undoubtedly the best fusion restaurant in Johannesburg. In all honesty, you will need to travel to the wine route at the coast to find any restaurant on par with Pot luck club!

For me, taste and texture, is king. When taking that first bite, I want to utter "Oh-Wow" involuntarily!! At many fusion / fine dine restaurants, this happens with a few of the courses offered, but seldom with ALL. I confess - each and every plate we receive at Pot luck club, pops with flavour and texture. The chef and his/her team deserves a standing ovation at the end of the evening!

The favorites like the Taco 2.0, fish sliders and (by now) world renown smoked beef fillet with Cafe au lait & truffle sauce, must not be missed! The sashimi blows my mind every time, and the sirloin tartare is better and more flavourful than any steak tartare we have enjoyed, even in France at top rated Michelin star restaurants! (though I'm beginning to have my reservation about these rating systems in anycase...).

Portion size of each dish is perfect (keeping in mind that you will order tapas style, and in this way have many plates to blow your taste buds into orbit!) We have eaten at many top rated restaurants, where we have left totally unsatisfied, felt cheated, and being dumbfounded by the hype, the "top" ratings (perhaps based on ratings generated by A.I. bots) , and their widely advertised accolades. However, when leaving Pot luck club, we find ourselves already contemplating when to visit again in order to give the other options on the menu a go!!

I was actually surprised that I have never reviewed this establishment, as we VERY often drive quite far to enjoy the amazing tasting food they have to offer, we have visited them from the day they opened. It might be because many places start great, but within a few months they drop the ball. (So I always thought I have reviewed, and came here to just update my review to say - "still the best!!")

The service is impeccable, from Grey making a effort to welcome their guests, to each and every friendly waiter! Most importantly - lets not forget that real stars of the day - the very talented chef with an enthusiastic kitchen team !

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Hands down my best fine dining experience in a while. The restaurant setting is airy and open. Tables, nicely spaced to avoid the overcrowded feeling. Seating is comfortable, table sizes are perfect, this important as tables are usually on the small side, leading to a lot of shuffling around to accommodate items on the table. Waiting staff are all on top of their game, professional, knowledgeable, with regards to the menu options and very friendly. Management is attentive and present. The food is fantastic, some of the best dishes I have had. Started with the oysters, fresh and according to my wife, incredibly delicious. Lamb ribs, crispy on the outside,tender, juicy and packed with flavour. Smoked snoek tartlet, one of my favourite dishes, delicate pastry, topped with a delicious bold atchar, amazing. Arnold Bennet, was a first for me, scrambled egg with fish sauce and topped with crispy parmesan, it was incredibly tasty, the crisp parmesan with the egg, a brilliant combination. Fish sliders, a chunky piece of lightly batter fish on a bao bun (I think), fish cooked to perfection, eaten as a hamburger, it was fantastic, my favourite dish of the day. Smoked beef fillet, I have never had a piece of fillet this well cooked, The tenderness of the fillet was impressive, all the flavours worked to make this a fantastic dish. Peanut bomb, surprisingly light but packed with flavour. The Madelenie and Pate de fruit were also amazing. Every dish was, to me, fantastic, I could not fault one dish or any component of any dish. A truely wonderful dining experience. Thank you to the Pot luck team, very, very highly recommended, well worth a visit. If you haven't dined at the restaurant, you are missing out on something truly special. Thank you Pot Luck Club Johannesburg, a...

We had high hopes when starting with the R900 menu, eager to experience what the restaurant had to offer. However, the overall experience fell short of expectations, especially in terms of storytelling and how each dish was presented. The dishes arrived without any explanation of their creation or inspiration, leaving us wanting more context about what we were eating.

That said, there were a few highlights. The brioche bun was exceptionally soft and served warm, which was a nice touch. However, the chicken dish felt a bit disjointed, with the almond flavors not quite harmonizing. The only standout element was the green sauce, which had a pleasant heat but ended up overpowering the fish sliders as well. The sirloin was tender and enjoyable, but unfortunately, the Parmesan goat cheese fries didn’t hit the mark for us.

Dessert was lovely, but the experience was somewhat marred by a confusing billing process. While we understand the reasoning behind deposits to avoid no-shows, the value for money just didn’t seem proportionate to the experience we received. For the price we paid, we could have enjoyed a meal at establishments like Marble or The Pantry, where reservations aren’t required, and the value aligns more closely with the experience.

The ambiance of the restaurant is quaint, and the interior is clean and modern, which is commendable. However, unless there are improvements to the overall experience and more attention to the guest journey, I’m not sure I’d return. Regular tweaks and updates to the user experience could definitely elevate it to match the pricing and...