Fast facts

Food type: Winelands-style fine dining

Average price of a main course: R1 695 for the Chef’s Experience tasting menu, excluding wine pairing

Opening times: Monday to Sunday 12noon to 1pm and 5pm to 10pm

Corkage fee: No BYO

Parking: Secure on-site parking at the estate.

Best for… Celebrating a special occasion.

Food

Tasting menus are the order of the day at La Petite Colombe. You can opt for the reduced menu or The Chef’s Experience, both of which come in vegetarian format.

You’ll be treated to a welcome snack to excite the appetite – a bite-sized morsel of beef tartare, chipotle and smoked aïoli intricately presented and executed. Once seated at your table, the real show begins with an impressive bread course – a Cape Malay smoked snoek bagel, featuring a little tin of smoked snoek and ‘caviar’ beads.

Even though the restaurant’s name suggests something small or little, there’s nothing meagre about the textures, flavours and presentation of each dish. Expect gastronomic delights like duck liver with quince and chestnut, grass-fed beef, celeriac and wild rosemary or a combination of pear, rooibos and Dulcey for dessert.

The whimsical ‘secret garden’ aesthetic in the presentation is a golden thread that runs through the menu, eliciting surprise and delight with the serving of each course.

 

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Drinks

Located on Franschhoek’s Leeu Estate, the restaurant boasts an extensive wine list with multiple vintages and unique varietals. The sommelier is friendly and keen to transfer his knowledge about each paired wine – and they’re all served in a differently shaped glass, truly elevating the experience. You can also order a pre-dinner cocktail from the statement bar if you’re feeling fancy. And mention must be made of the Topia water that is served – a sustainable alternative to bottled water.

 

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Service

The service team is somewhat quiet and demure, but friendly. They appear to work well as a cohesive unit and each person is highly knowledgeable about all items on the menu and how they’re cooked.

Ambience

The mood is quite formal and hushed inside the restaurant, where the striking floor-to-ceiling windows bring the ‘outside in’ and offer stellar views of the Leeu Estate vineyards and gardens. The La Colombe dove ‘mascot’ on the wallpaper is a nice touch, paying homage to the restaurant’s heritage, and the stucco walls offer a lovely balance of texture.

Inside at La Petite Colombe. Image supplied.

Eat Out critics dine unannounced and pay for their meals in full. Read our full editorial policy here.