la colombe

had to have the 7-course tasting menu, because it looked great. and it was. every course was superb, with uniquetastecombinations. the staff are incredibly well informed and service is excellent. the food is not unduly rich in flavor, as is sometimes the case at fine dining spots. fantastic wine selection too.

i was so excited to come to la colombe for lunch. we brought an overseas friend to lunch and decided la colombe would be the right choice. upon arrival, we greeted by the hostess and offered something to clear our palates. they had charming white chocolate egg with a citrus fruit juice inside. the chocolate eggs were nestled amongst branches of a beautiful display of foliage. needless to say, if this was the introduction, we were in for a fabulous food journey.
     we were shown our seats, perused the drinking menu and chose groot constantia 2017 pinotage. what a smooth, delightful wine! we then chose which menu we would choose, the spring menu or the chef's menu. i liked both but i felt the chef's menu would be a bit too much to eat for lunch, so spring menu it was. we all chose that menu. 
     our menu began with marlin tataki, burnt lime & lamb roti. 7 courses of delectable delights. i'm in trouble! out came this exquisite forest with the marlin tataki/burnt lime and the lamb roti was petite and presented in a rock carved out. it was delicately displayed and the aromas were tantalizing to the senses. the amazing waiter who served the food and explained the process of how you should eat the food and it was helpful. i wish there was smell-a-vision with pictures. it was mind-blowing.  
     we then followed up with sweet potato bread with waygu drippings/oxtail i had crumbs of the bread all over the table. it was worth it! so good is an understatement. beautiful, art, chefiness at it's finest. oh man. we then had a blind tasting of tuna "la colombe." it is crazy how the chef is able to beautiful balance the freshest ingredients which are artfully paired and arranged, nestled within a can with ingredients listed on one side and the "la colombe" on the front of the label. as you open your can, the smell wafts into the air, causing you to salivate. it was playful, and truly an experience that was interactive. so many highlights and not a single disappointment was to be had!! every single course was an explosion of flavor, mouth-watering aromas to tantalize thetastebuds, a true feast of the eyes and senses.

i could go on but rather make a booking. go there. you won't be disappointed. our waitress, marion was a delight! she made our experience sublime! just know that this is on the pricy side but it's worth every single paper money spent! this is eating for the art of food, not just eat and fill your tummy.

lacolombe restaurant
silvermist (constantia)

so i haven't done one of these in a while because we have been going to the same places that i've already done a review for. however for lunch yesterday we were privileged to go to one of the top restaurants in the country again. we were not disappointed. from the minute we walked in, to the time we walked out. everything was truly amazing.

when you walk into la colombe, we start off with a chocolate-coated shell holding a citrus flavour palate cleanser that explodes in your mouth. we were then shown to our table, where philip our waiter would look after us for the afternoon. philip was friendly and funny and really made our experience perfect.

picking the winter special menu which was 7 courses and just as well we were hungry because there was more than enough food for lunchtime.

first course: marlin tataki, burnt lime, lamb roti. server in a mini garden on the table it was more like two little bite-sized morsels of flavour and deliciousness. the lamb roti was so tender you could pull the rib bone out of the roti without disturbing it.

second course: sweet potato, wagyu drippings, oxtail. this dish gets mixed at the table and the smells were amazing. the sweet potato bread was fresh and dipping them into the mix was atastesensation.

third course: tuna ‘la colombe’. this is their signature dish and it has never tasted so dam delicious. perfect tuna with a little kick of spice. my dish of the day so i thought.

fourth course: kerala style quail, prawn, coriander. well, i had to change my mind and say that this was the best dish of the day. perfect little quail drumstick, with a yummy prawn and the perfectly cooked duck breast with the coriander dressing to die for.

fifth course: naartjie. the best sorbet i’ve tasted in years. served on a smoking tree, it looked as good as it tasted.

main meal (sixth course): malay style linefish. yellowtail cooked perfectly with crispy skin and delicious sauces and crispy squid and chargrilled corn.

or petit poussin, sweetbreads, truffle. great looking dish with yummy veggies and great tasting sweetbreads. the poussin was the only slightly disappointing part of the meal, which was a touch dry.

dessert (seventh course): bahibe, blood orange, smoked almond. sweet but not overpowering. just the perfect end to a perfect meal. smoked almond ice cream, chocolate mousse topped with blood orange and dark chocolate.

petit fours: speckled egg, rooibos macaron. served on the mini garden the speckled egg was amazing.

we couldn’t have asked for a better eating experience! for anyone thinking about going, i would highly recommend this as a must-do!!

lacolombe restaurant teeth rating:
food: 10 "teeth" out of 10
service and staff: 10 " teeth" out of 10
ambience: 10 "teeth" out of 10
overall: 30 "teeth" out of 30

we had the mosttastebud tingling food. expensive yes but worth it for a celebration. service was very attentive. so everything pretty spot on. but what one expects from a top class restaurant like a top class hotel is a feeling of pampering and no negativity throughout the entire stay. we could only get a booking for 1.30 pm. no problem. lovely waitress explained the choice of 2 tasting menus one short and one the full gourmet menu. when it was time to take the order and after we had all chosen, we were informed that only the short menu could be chosen as the kitchen closes at 2 pm.
so the negativity began. a jarring feeling spoiling the pampered ,nothing is too much trouble feelings. we had not been warned of the kitchen closure and had been offered a choice of menus.
the chef stuck to his guns and the celebratory feeling was starting to wane. no no no la colombo. this is wrong for such a high end restaurant. why are you allowed to book for 1.30pm if the kitchen closes at 2pm ??? why were not told of these important facts as we walked in
the chef begrudgingly said we could have the longer menu. we didn’t as we felt it was too much trouble and had decided by then what we wanted

i thought i wouldn’t send a review as everyone sees this restaurant as untouchable

thanks to our attitude we had a wonderful time.
please make sure your guests feel pampered from beginning to end as that is what they are paying for and is almost, as important as the wonderful food

la calombe has an awesome reputation, and the food didn't disappoint. it was exquisite.

we went with the gourmand option, and were treated to a fantastic visual andtasteexperience. multiple techniques and ingredients, presented in interesting ways, including the brief trip to the "garden" (where the special drink was not to my liking, but the seafood dish was superb).

however as fantastic as the food was, i found the description of each dish too hurried (it was fairly uniform across each person who presented the next course). i would have liked each main ingredient to have been identified, as many of the dishes are intricate with multiple ingredients that aren't immediately recognizable.

it's a small critical observation, and would perhaps irritate other diners if it was standard practice, but i'll certainly ask for more information when i'm next there.

the photos in the previous review perfectly capture my experience

so absolutely delicious! thank you to scott and his amazing chefs for fabricating atastebud extravaganza on a plate. the service was impeccable as always and the gin selection was great. the full 5.0

ooh la la colombe!

i recently had the most incredible mid-week lunch here with a friend and what a treat it was.

with its outstanding reputation, our expectations were high, and it definitely met all of them.

the service is excellent from the moment that you're ushered to your table until you're presented with a scott kirten signed copy of the menu in an envelope along with your bill.

service staff are attentive and friendly and explained the menu items well.

i ordered the vegetarian winter menu which included wild mushrooms, quail egg, pickles, the famous la colombe canned corn,
butternut risotto, bulgar wheat, coriander and soubise and various palate cleansers (including a gastronomic ice lolly) along with a cleverly themed 'taste test' dessert game. every dish was beautifully and creatively plated.

the mushrooms were mild on the palette and didn't leave me wondering were unusual flavours were coming from, as i was expecting, but every dish to follow did exactly that.

my favourite dish was thetastetest, which constituted 5 little dessert items on different colored plates, which you had to match to their corresponding palettetaste(sweet, sour, umami etc.) on the game card.

i'm definitely going to come back for their full vegetarian menu at some stage.

la colombe was an absolutely faultless delicious dining experience.

the decor is very clean modern and traditional fine dining. the spots by the window are probably the nicest in the restaurant. the ambience is very intimate and relaxing.

our waitress was very funny and explained the dishes well. she even noticed that the veloute was missing on a dish and sent it back to the kitchen. she really made the experience an enjoyable one. a little more attention could have been paid to drinks but other than that it was perfect.

i loved that they had a reduced set menu with 9 courses for r790 (wine pairing 1370) and a full menu of 12 courses for r1200 (wine pairing 1990). there is also a vegetarian menu for r640 and r890 respectively which i dare say is probably equally as delicious. the kitchen accommodated dietary requirements excellently.

our first course la colombe garden was presented in quail eggs and packed with flavour.

the second course of spiced lamb, dukkah and red wine was their take or a bread and butter course. the bread is made from red wine and the butter which is heated on the hot dish in front of you had a rich lamb taste.

course three was a poached west coast oyster, pickled squid, smoked salmon and piccalilli. i had my dish without the chorizo. i didn't know oyster couldtasteso good.

the other third course option was springbok tartare, pickled chestnut, chipotle and foie gras had a beautiful sweet rich flavour.

course four was tuna la colombe presented in a cab was another deliciously flavoursome dish.

course five was the seared scallop, char siu pork belly, cauliflower, apple, black forest ham veloute. the fiancé expected this to be a scallop dish but the pork belly overpowered the scallop whose flavour was lost in the dish. i had the dish without the pork belly and ham veloute. my dish generously included two scallops and a salsa verde which was a little too strong although delicious for the scallops.

course 6 was a lime and litchi palate cleanser. very sour for me but certainly cleansed my palate.

course 7 was the main course of pan fried line fish (kingklip), cashew, lemongrass, kimchi, coriander, coconut and corn veloute. this was the most perfectly cooked piece of fish i have ever eaten in my life. just so wow. the sauce was overpowering but this dish was just so yum.

course 7 alternative was the beetroot risotto, burrata, sage, beurre noisette. fiance's favourite dish. it was astonishing how much flavour was packed into the risotto.

course 8 dessert has three ages of boerenkaas, onion, rhubarb, walnut and onion. this is a play on a traditional cheese platter course by offering you a savoury dessert. very interesting dessert, i am glad i tasted it but i still prefer my dessert sweet.

course 8 alternative dulcey namalaka, basil, raspberry and ginger was just wow. incredible delicious and perfect. desserts are usually disappointing but not this one. the basil in the dish really elevated the flavour of the dessert.

lastly course 9 was thetastetest of which you get five petit fours and have to match them to the flavours sweet, sour, salty, bitter and umami.

water was unfortunately not complimentary. tried a spiced delight non alcoholic drink which was delicious.

loved every bit of the experience. food was impeccable in both taste, presentation and innovation. would highly recommend and will definitely be going back as soon as i can!

had the reduced tasting menu on friday evening. overall, the food was pretty awesome and the service was great too. just 2 things - the decor really could be improved. i get the whole minimalist vibe, but i felt like i came to the dining room after everyone had eaten and left and i was hoping to pick up some left overs. it just looks too sparse for my liking. and the 2nd thing is the "chicken" dish. it really equated to some sauce on a plate with a roll. even the chicken skin was tiny pieces of skin that just disappeared in the little bit of sauce. now that the 2 "improvement opportunities" have been dealt with... let's get to the rest. wow!!!! what awesome food. i really wanted to lick my plate most of the time. it was that good. the oyster, the tuna, the scallop and pork belly. oh heavens! just delicious. the fish was amazeballs and the lamb and sweet breads were tasty, but if i had to choose again, i'd go with the fish. the cheese desert was interesting and the berries were divine. overall, an absolutely divine experience, that will be remembered by mytastebuds for a long long time. yum! note: added pics of protégé in franschoek, which is an asso iatdd restaurant, and doesn't seem to be loaded on zomato.

we had the most amazing dinner experience. the food is amazing and an explosion on thetastebuds. attention to detail is certainly la colombe's strong point. the waiting staff and sommelier are well trained and professional. huge compliments to the chef. his combination of flavours, textures and creativity are mind blowing.

expectations were high when we dined at la colombe, and booking four months in advance we had months to get excited for the experience. the setting is very intimate with tables spaced well apart and tablecloths ironed onto each table pristinely. the service is super slick and attentive, our waiter savio was one of the best waiters i've ever been served by, he knew the menu and wine list back to front, and made proper, honest recommendations with regards to the selections which we really appreciated. the manageress also gave us a few complimentary glasses of wine totastewith other courses and everything ran like a well oiled machine. the food was outstanding, every course was a gradual progression in terms of flavours building up beautifully and we were really impressed with the attention to detail. this is one of the best restaurants in south africa and you absolutely have to try it.

absolutely breathtaking view, the drive was well worth it and the setting was awesome. they made us feel very special and the wine list was extensive and interesting. the food was beautiful. not everything was to mytastelike the salmon and fruit dish, but every now and again u have a bite that changes the axis of the world... a worthy once in a lifetime experience. we were not lucky enough to have been cooked for by chef kurtin, but his assistant chef was very capable and everything was memorable.

honestly can't fault la colombe.
the attention to detail here is exquisite, from the gentle but not overwhelming attentiveness of the waiters to the little surprises they bring you between courses.
they knew it was our anniversary so we arrived to some free bubbly, lovely touch!
every course was an experience, we couldn't help ourselves but totasteeach others food the whole way through as we didn't want to miss out on anything!
we were both so fascinated by the food we forgot to take any pics! 😄
from the adorable tuna can style appetiser to the mouth watering petit fours that arrived with the bill, a great experience you have to try!

5 star everything for la colombe. have eaten here a few times but was also lucky enough to attend my friends wedding here. the setting is phenomenal and worth the winding road to get there.  view is gorgeous and the food spectacular. excellent service and delicious food make this place a real treat. if you can, try go for the winter special as its a bit easier on the budget and will give you a truetasteto the experience that is la colombe.

i had the privilege of being treated to lunch at la colombe and i must say, this restaurant really does take the fine dining experience to the next level!

upon arriving, we were given their complimentary bread and tuna starter, which was absolutely devine! i love how they serve the tuna in a tin can - very original and gives a lovely rustic, relaxed feel to the entire dish. and of course, freshly baked farm bread with homemade butter always goes down well!

for starters, we ordered the chicken soup, scallops and pork belly and prawns. all three were standout dishes, being both beautifully presented and perfectly cooked. the soup was a very creative dish in that it was sort of a deconstructed soup, but every component matched perfectly. the same can be said for the scallops and pork belly. the prawns were the special of the day and were definitely worthy of a 5/5!

before mains, we were given another serving of bread, this time with a smoked pork butter. the bread was still warm from the oven and it went down well after our starters. we were also given a palette cleanser - a white chocolate ball that pops in your mouth if you let it dissolve - an interesting experience!

for mains, we had the linefish and the lamb. the linefish was kingklip, which i was a bit skeptical of since almost all of the kingklip dishes i've tasted have been failures. however, this one was fantastic! it was amazing totasteeach component of the dish and see how well it worked with the fish. absolutely amazing! although i didn'ttastethe lamb, it looked simply delicious as well.

we ended the afternoon with a cheese board and the chocolate and pistachio dessert. the dessert was very interesting - it wasn't as sweet as i expected, but still flavorful. i absolutely loved the pistachio mousse!

beyond the spectacular food, the service was also five star! our waiter was always there ready to take our orders and top up our wine. our food arrived promptly and the time between courses was just right. i also love the cool, open atmosphere the light colors create. the whole restaurant has a sort of treehouse feel to it and it's the perfect spot on a hot summer's day.

there's honestly not one thing i can fault. i thoroughly enjoyed my visit to la colombe and will definitely visit again in the future!