A rainy, cold and fairly miserable afternoon set the scene for a tasting lunch organised at La Colombe at Constantia Uitsig last week. But bravery in battling the elements to get to Constantia paid off with a lunch filled with delicious food and delectable wines. By the end of the lunch, despite the cold outside, we were warm and filled with the sunny endorphins provided by the staff, setting and company.

Luke Dale-Roberts was appointed executive chef at La Colombe at the end of 2006 and has subtly yet stealthily made the menu his own. With his vast international training, from Switzerland to the Far East, Dale-Roberts decided to make Cape Town his home, and we can all say thank you for that!

His marathon tasting menu ensured the entire afternoon was well taken care of – there’d be no scurrying back to the office at 3pm to check emails! After a couple of amuses-bouches to give us a taster of the rest of the menu, we got stuck in to the main performance.

While I enjoyed a seafood starter with home-cured salmon, crayfish and horseradish crème fraîche, the beetroot tart was declared a showstopper by the table. Luke said this tart is well on its way to become a signature dish. The round discs of pastry are covered in layer of spectacular purple beetroot, topped with a scoop of goat’s cheese fondant – looking exactly like a scoop of icecream, with gooey melting appeal. The texture is mousse-like and rounds the dish off perfectly.

On to the fish course and decisions were difficult between grilled cape salmon on leek and scallop risotto or salmon fillet with a Mediterranean slant. Both were declared delicious and my Cape salmon was perfectly cooked.

The meat dish choices included rack of lamb, tender and pink served with smoked goat’s cheese cream or beef fillet on a cep ragout looking hearty and warming. And the surprise of the day was veal sweetbreads, ordered by the majority of the table ­– much to the chef's admiration. Glazed in truffle jus, they were tender and served on a bed of spinach with an almond and cardamom cream and grapes. In fact, Luke said these sweetbreads are proving extremely popular with the local French community, some come specifically for this hard-to-come-by dish.

Amazingly enough we found space for desserts, and the crème brûlée and chocolate tart with gluhwein sorbet were both tempting, but I was delighted with my choice of figs poached in Muscadel. They were oozing and sweet and went perfectly with a scoop of cardamom icecream and a sexy swirl of pink peppercorn syrup. Friandises of chocolate truffles, Turkish delight and macaroons accompanied coffees and peppermint-infused restorative teas and the guests slowly parted company.

Contemplating my full tummy on the way home, I was suffused with and delicious memories of an utterly charming afternoon in a world-class restaurant. And dinner? A slice of marmite toast at the very most…

La Colombe will be continuing their popular winter special menus, making dining at this exclusive restaurant a very affordable treat.

Words Lisa van Aswegen

La Colombe
Constantia Uitsig, Cape Town
Call 021-794 2390