the three ducks- les trois canards

don’t ever judge a book by its cover....
when you walk through the doors of this restaurant, at first it seems like a very ordinary cafe, until you reach the candlelit tables right at the back of the restaurant.
although a bit pricey it is definitely worth the money. our meals were delicious and cooked to perfection. we received a complementary dessert for our anniversary.
the service was good and after two bottles of red wine and a three course meals, we left the restaurant with very satisfied smiles on our face.

i have visited the three ducks on two occasions now, both for breakfast. situated in the waterkloof suburb the restaurant looks like a little normal plain street cafe from the outside but once you are inside and passed the kitchen, it's a whole different story. there are indoor and outdoor seating. the indoor area boasts a very nice wine cellar. french music plays in the background which gives the restaurant an authentic french flair whilst sipping on some wine and eating. the staff were great, friendly and efficient. a great french style menu with various options and also some superb wines. on both occasions i started with cappuccino and ordered the eggs benedict to eat. the last time however my croissant was a bit over-toasted and chewy but rest of the meal delicious. i would like to return to experience the evening vibe ... and try other dishes.

don't expect french quality. that is just the name.
when a restaurant poaches their eggs in cups and offer their cappuccinos with "cream or foam?", you know this is not a french restaurant, but a pretentious and sadly pretoria-ish joint, with all the non-flair that pretoria has in such abundance
was very disappointed to have chosen this place as my birthday breakfast with the boss.

nice setting and great ambiance. nice menu. best kingklip thirmidor i've had.
but.... no crème brûlée or crème caramel for a french restaurant????
telling me it's sold out?
really lazy excuse.
chocolate surprise was terrible.
not authentic french.
won't be back.

our evening began well, there was a welcoming fire although very few guests. we arrived at 7.30 and ordered starters. our intention was to have a meal over about 3 hours as we hadn't had dinner with our guests for three months. the starters looked fantastic on the menu and 3 out of 4 were good but the sauce on the clam and mussels was overpowering. we then ordered mains which were very disappointing. the sauces on the rack of lamb and the fillet medalions were salty and overbearing.
it was now 9.00 and we were told to order our deserts and coffee because the kitchen was closing ! just incase we stayed too long the fire was out and the front door open so the place was now rather chilli and the coffee was cold. the only saving grace was our waiter, bekki, who was new, having been there two weeks and had no knowledge of the dishes he was serving, was attentive, discreet and friendly. we would not choose to return there.

we have read reviews about les trois canards for a couple of months now, so was very excited to finally experience it for ourselves!

as some of the previous reviews state, don't be mislead by the reataurant's exterior and streetview - from the outside it looks like a french streetcafé where you can have a quick panini and coffee. but as you walk through the front café, the beautiful background music sets the atmosphere fitting the serene vibe of the restaurant at the back - crisp white tablecloths, shiny wineglasses and the trickle of water from the ducks waterfountain ...feels like you walked into a paris restaurant!

our waiter don greeted us as we entered the restaurant and accompanied us to our table, ready with menu's. he was professional and friendly throughout and served us well.

the food was outstanding! we ordered the lamb shank with rosemary as well as the rack of lamb, both beautifully tender with an amazing subtle rosemary flavour. the brandy and peppersauce steak was perfectly medium as we requested and the sauce creamy and well balanced. the fillet medalions with camembert and cranberry sauce was our dish of the day - tender and soft with ample sauce, well balanced with the camembert cheese.

regretfully we did not have dessert.... will have to return for it!

overall an amazing eating experience and special family quality time - highly recommend this restaurant!

we had our valentines dinner booked at 6pm at this restaurant, this after we had a dinner here a couple of months ago. we arrived on time and were seated at a table adjacent to the toilets. we were the only table in at that time and our booking was done well in advance but we decided not to query the placement. after ordering champagne we placed our order off the set menu (which we were not advised of at the time of the booking) only to be told that the service of the appetisers would only commence after 7pm. i found that unacceptable, especially as it was a set menu and prepping should have been done well in advance. it went down hill from there. the appetisers and starters, when they eventually arrived were good but the main course, a duck l'orange was overcooked, dry and rubbery. don, our server tried his best but the replacement duck breast was more pink inside but no crispy skin and mealy flesh. the l'orange sauce was acidic and more blackberry consistent than orange. this was disappointing after waiting more than two hours. we ordered our deserts to go. the manager eventually came to our table and offered us a round of drinks, but it was too little too late. i settled the substantial bill vowed never to come back.

i've always enjoyed eating here and it's not so much the food that will keep me from returning as it was the way i was treated by the manager. i ordered an omelette for breakfast which came to my table cold. after my waiter asked if he could microwave my meal to warm it, i sent the food back and the kitchen made me a new omelette, which was worse than the first attempt. i was informed that my plate was scorching hot because it had been placed in the oven to prevent it from getting cold, during the process however the egg had become dry and the outer layers had burned. without taking a bite i returned my dish to the kitchen. when the bill finally arrived and i asked why i was being charged for something i hadn't eaten the manager informed me that i was only being charged for one omelette despite the fact that i had been served two. he then proceeded to take out his phone to show me pictures of omelets he had googled in an attempt to prove that my eggs hadn't been burnt. he clearly hadn't looked at my food or considered that placing my food in the oven/ microwave had damaged the quality.

mistakes happen at restaurants but because of the way the manager dealt with the situation out of principle i'll never return to the three ducks.

went there for lunch - celebrating a birthday. my first time. walked in and i liked what i saw....white tablecloths, lots of glasses on the table, flowers on the table. the menu matched the place, nice selection of french dishes...here and there a dish that made no sense but all in all happy until the food start arriving...... starter: foie gras (r149) consisted of a sliver (not bigger than 5cm x 1cm x 0.3cm) on three small toasted rounds of bread. the consistency of the foie gras was crumbly not smooth. balsamic reduction spattered all over plate. did not make sense. the biggest rip-off if ever i have seen one! mains: fillet (medium rare with snails) the snails were overcooked - a bit mushy. fillet rare - but good. served on mash. the vegetables accompanying it (serve separately) was cold chips and a greek salad?! fish provencale.....the worst i have ever eaten. the delicate white wine was a sauce resembling wall paper glue and tasted of vinegar. it looks like it comes out of a packet as there where green specs evenly distributed in sauce with raw cherry tomatoes and cold kalamata olives. the kingklip were overcooked. desserts: pistachio pana cotta. the wobble was more like a bounce. was grey and tasted nothing of pistachio. so once we ate our desserts, a peppermint crisp tart on a plate with happy birth-day (yes...i kid you not!) written on it. the manager did made an appearance half way through the mains, i did complain which resulted in him disappearing for the rest of lunch. i also left my name and number with request that an owner phone me in order for me to discuss this dismal experience, but nothing yet. such a great pity as setting and ambiance nice, maybe they must change menu to reflect their expertise and not try to be french when clearly the chef do not understand the french way of cooking.

we had a great experience at the three ducks. i had the amatriciana pasta and my husband the frutti de mer. reasonably priced and packed full of flavour the staff were really friendly and efficient and friendly -we'll be back!

i enjoyed the food, with a decent variety of french cuisine dishes. definitely recommend the chicken balentine. and the service was just as good. definitely a good restaurant for a relaxed evening

i wanted to come here for a while now, and was very glad when i finally got the chance. the menu is great, with classic french dishes with a twist. its modern and there is something for everyone. the restaurant setting is great and different one gets a real european feel sitting there. the food was really good, full of flavour and the portions are a good size. will definitely be returning.

french bistro flair and elegant dining rolled into one well appointed and tastefully decorated restaurant. breakfast, lunch and dinner menus, as well as specials, cater for all fussy tastes. worth a visit

a restaurant that will make any occasion special!!
i love everything french and have been wanting to eat here since the day they opened their doors so when our first wedding anniversary was around the corner - it only seemed right to try it out. our anniversary was on a sunday so we were looking for some place peaceful, intimate with delicious food and that is exactly what we found!
we were blown away by the menu options and could not choose what we wanted to eat. duck towers, mussel pots, camembert rolled in parma-ham, everything sounded amazing... we were planning on only eating a main course but ended up going all out with a three course meal! we were impressed by their presentation, portion sizes and of course their execution. the food was amazing and so was the staff!
we will have to go again to experience their romantic evening atmosphere. they have a great set menu for friday's & saturday's for a really decent price - if you consider what you are getting!

this place is a gem!!!! what a lovely setting, i felt like i could have been sitting in europe. the food is delicious & well-presented. the portions are just right and the prices are reasonable. i will definitely be a regular visitor!