La Colombe has always been very special to us ever since the first time we visited about five years ago. We had such a great time that we both agreed that it was the best restaurant we had ever been to. In fact, it had reached such an iconic status in our memory that I was secretly worried that it wasn’t going to live up to our very high expectations this time. I was actually preparing myself for disappointment. Silly me, this time actually exceeded my expectations by quite a long way.
The food is, well you can work it out for yourself. This is what we ate:
Amuse bouche
Caramelised onion tart with goat cheese, parsnip soup (in an egg-shell), pea salsa
Starter
Beetroot Cannelloni, beetroot mousse wrapped in pickled beetroot, toasted olive brioche, roasted golden baby beets, fromage blanc, poached raisins, 12 yr old balsamic drizzle
Palate Cleanser
Granny Smith sorbet, Pimms foam, cucumber, mint
Main Course
Wild mushroom risotto spring roll, butternut puree, sous vide butternut, caramelised onion, smoked garlic veloute, thyme foam
Desserts
Coconut & rosewater panna cotta, rose meringue, rose foam, turkish delight, cashew nut streusel
Chocolate peanut butter terrine, candied cranberries, apricots, peanuts, chocolate, pistachio nut dust
And if that is not enough for you, they bring around a wooden trough filled with petits fours. Okay it’s not a trough but that’s what we called it. Bring me the trough!
Petits fours
Rose Turkish delight, mini citrus madeleines, maple meringues, cinnamon marshmallows and espresso pistachio dusted chocolate truffles filled with salted caramel
Yes, that was espresso pistachio dusted chocolate truffles filled with salted caramel. They didn’t last very long, someone at our table may have stuffed his face with them before I could stuff mine. Not mentioning any names but you know who you are.
I don’t think I need to say that the food was outstanding do I? The beetroot cannelloni was light, elegant, sweet and exquisitely made. The mushroom spring rolls were rich with truffle butter and earthy morels, the pastry was perfectly crisp, I didn’t want it to end.
The desserts were a complete triumph. Everything a dessert should be, playful, sweet and nostalgic with a grown-up twist. The attention to detail is what makes this an unforgettable dining experience. From the amuse bouche (very amusing), the palate cleanser (I mean Pimms!), all the way through to the petits fours (bring me the trough and leave it please).
Speaking of attention to detail, I have to mention that the level of service we received was actually on another level to anything I had ever experienced. Jennifer and her highly knowledgable team made our evening a complete joy from start to finish. The waiter actually explained each dish on the menu FROM MEMORY! All those foams, purees and veloutes without reading from a notepad. That deserves a mention by itself. And it is not at all stuffy, that’s what makes it so enjoyable, it is proper fine dining without the squeaky chairs and pretension.
Thanks to everyone at La Colombe who made our evening so special. Hopefully it won’t be too long before the next time.
La Colombe
Constantia Uitsig, Constantia
Tel 021-794-2390
www.constantia-uitsig.com
[email protected]
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