By now, I am convinced that La Colombe is one of the Cape’s best. Lunch yesterday again confirmed that this restaurant is a showcase for invigorating ideas on the plate, combined with a relaxed, countrified vibe (the seat cushions are even verging on pink, so House and Garden are they). It’s not perfect (a hostess that did not know the estate has a white blend, ordinary wine glasses, average coffee delivery) – but it is exciting and it is always a food event. Luke Dale-Roberts has now designed a seasonal tasting menu for evenings; I tried one of the dishes on it. It consisted of two parts, one warm and one cold. Hot was “Home cured and smoked ox tongue, Jerusalem artichoke and lentil puree, parsley pesto and pickled shimeji”; while cold was “Condiment of pressed pickled tongue and spiced shiraz”. The latter was served on a piece of wine barrel atop some pine needles and was a work of kitchen art. Both were engaging, tasty, complex dishes. See what I mean? This is serious stuff made pleasurable. My lamb main course was fantastic too.
And so to cost – average starter here is R100 while the mains clock in at R160 and more. But what people will not talk about or take into consideration is that you also get fantastic bread and condiments that stride beyond hard butter, an amuse bouche of quality same as anything on the menu, and petit fours at the end of the meal that could serve as dessert for the small stomached. Never mind that this is interesting food from a kitchen that is developing the art of dining with virtuouso performances every day of the week, combined with urbane, efficient service.
Today you are often charged R120 for a main that consists of a piece of seared meat and some soggy sides in an establishment operated by robots. (Dining an event? Ah. We’re just here to deliver a plate! But where’s the tip?). I think it is clear where the real value resides.
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9 Comments
Dinner at La Colombe last night had me in raptures and was world class. Could not fault the service or the food. Yes, it is pricy but the quality is outstanding. Our starters ranged from 150 to 195 and mains 165. The best meal I have had in many, many months.
So true! Especially the last passage!!
WOW WOW!!!! La Colombe has to get some of the best awards this year! We took guests from Cambridge (U.K) and they too were quite simply blown away!. The best bread the best starters (mine a wild mushroom tart) and the most unbelievable piece of beef fillet (apparently from America?). The TOnka bean dessert (dont ask just go and order it) was an amazing combination of flavours. THis is my absolutely all time favourite restaurant and has been for a long time.
Enjoyed a family dinner here last week and it was sublime. The chef treated us to a complimentary amuse bouche of chilled asparagus soup which was a refreshing start to the meal. I splashed out on a crayfish salad starter which was very generously proportioned and exquisitely flavoured. Followed that up with an apple and cider sorbet, and then the pièce de résistance; rare fillet of beef with a truffle “cafe au lait” sauce. Good God. It was deep, rich, creamy and fragrant, and the perfect compliment to a beautiful piece of meat.
My fellow diners enjoyed a selection of gorgeous desserts – I tasted the lemon tart and vanilla bean créme brûlée, both heavenly.
It was my first visit and I was highly impressed. It was absolutely buzzing on an unseasonably cold Monday night, the service was friendly and extremely efficient and the food simply divine. Cannot wait to go back!
Dined last night at Wild Fig – good’ish & fairly priced but not a ‘wow’ experience. Lunched today at La Colombe (winter special)in filthy weather next to the fire; absolutely fabulous. Nearly twice the price but well worth the difference.
I have had many meals at La Colombe. Simply put , it’s good , damn good. Will delight any lover of fine food.
I’m back in the Cape on holiday and have been eating out a lot. I was quite severely disappointed with dinner at La Colombe last week I must say, finding the service sporadic, including having to top up our own wines and water consitently, the whole dragging the blackboard menu around thing a bit pretentious (why not just print menus and let people take time over reading them?) and basically feeling like a second class citizen (though one spending considerable amounts of money) whilst the restaurant manager and staff fawned over a celebrity table to our, and everyone else’s, detriment.
The food? All of it was good (save some over-cooked scallops), and some was fantastic (the foie gras with rhubarb crumble and custard), but really that couldn’t make up for service that was indifferent verging on poor and what, for me, came across as a ‘couldn’t care less’ attitude.
I know I am firing arrows at a sacred cow here, but it was just very disappointing, and I heard the table of four next to me expressing similar sentiments. On the other hand, the Greenhouse at the Cellars was terrific, the Pavilion at The Marine in Hermanus brilliant, and last night, The Tasting Room at LQF not totally convincing, but with three or four courses from the eight on the menu just scintillating.
Dear Tom
We appreciate the feedback and would like to respond.
We pride ourselves on the quality of both our food and service and aim always to maintain the standards we set ourselves. We regret that you had an unpleasant experience but feel that the sacred cow reference is unrealistic. A restaurant such as La Colombe is of course succeptable to error and at times these things happen. Every step is taken to ensure a wonderful experience for all our guests, ‘celebrity’ or not, and we are not in the habit of ‘fawning’.
That said, one bad dinner is unnaceptable to us and we have addressed the issue with all concerned (those on duty).
Again we thank you for your feedback and trust your next dining experience will be as wonderful as you’d expect from us at La Colombe.
Jennifer Whittle
Jennifer,
I’m happy to provide more detail of exactly what went wrong if it would assist in ironing out any issues – JP can furnish my email address if you do not have it.
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