An absolutely mind-blowing experience in No. 94 of The World’s 50 Best: Restaurant La Colombe Constantia (30. November 2023)
The La Colombe is one of the two restaurants in South Africa, which is among top 100 of The World’s 50 Best, currently rated at No. 94. The drive through Constantia is already quite nice and once you find the entry off the main road to the La Colombe, you realise why this place is high on that rating. For lunch, there is a special offering of the menu called the “Chef’s Menu Lunch” (1’595 ZAR), which is offered with a “Wine Pairing” (1’395 ZAR). The lunch starts with “The Dove’s Nest”, which is really a citrus-based shot to start – simple, but lovely!
What was truly outstanding was the first course, which was just labelled “bread & charcuterie”, as it sounds rather boring, but once you get to pick your charcuterie, then you understand what there really is. I mean, there are basically five different cuts (one vegetarian one) and respective spreads, but beautifully prepared as a matching fruit or vegetable.
Already the “bread” looked super lovely and appealing!
But once you get to the actual elements, you’re just mind-blown. I went for “wagyu biltong with mushroom spread” and “wild boar chorizo with chorizo spread in tomato form” and all of it was just delicious. Really just how you imagine mouth-watering elements – they aligned perfectly and just made your taste buds happy!
And that continued with the “trout gravlax with onion and the duck ham with the apple spread”. It wasn’t actually apple, but there was an apple element to it. In any case, both combinations were delicious! And it made you feel like you don’t have enough bread to eat up all the spreads!
The first course was the “Tuna ‘La Colombe’ (yellowfin tuna, chipotle, coriander, citrus, chef’s secret dressing)”, which was anounced as that, and only once you’ve turned the box, you would see the actual ingredients, but the dish wasn’t done like this, but you had to add …
… “James’ Secret Sauce”. Yes, James’ Secret Sauce! We can definitely dispute if the choice of words is exquisite here, but the sauce in the tin can and stirring it up, man, this was a delicious bite! In my opinion, definitely too small, since I would have eaten much more of this if there was more!
Next in line was the “Namibian crab, game fish, nahn jim, Madagascan caviar” in the form of a little tart, so you could just have a two bites, and it was gone. But I must say, the profile of this dish was lovely, as it had a nice combination of different textures and flavours – really worked for me!
The “quail, crayfish, sweetcorn, bisque” was nice. Especially, the crayfish being wrapped in the quail made for a good combination of flavours and texture.
The part I found quite a bit disappointing was the “Cellar Experience”, where they would make you place your cellphone in a box on the table so you couldn’t take pictures downstairs. That being said, I don’t really understand why. The “morels and mushrooms with black truffle and black truffle velouté” was definitely tasty as a “surprise dish” (it wasn’t mentioned what it would be on the menu), however, the wine pairing really didn’t do the trick for me. I do understand that truffle isn’t cheap, but charing 750 ZAR for an extra course for a bit of food and a not too amazing wine (my personal opinion, of course) is a rip-off compared to the total price of the menu. Sure, it is an interesting experience and they sell it well, it’s definitely not one I would repeat, though.
Back at the table, it was time for more of a highlight, the “nitro citrus”, which was prepared right at your table.
And once finalised, you would get a lolley of nitro citrus. Lovely, and your not so typical palate cleanser compared to the regular ‘sorbet’ you normally get everywhere else.
Then it was time for the “karoo lamb, broccoli, harissa” and this, as well, worked exquisitely in terms of flavours and textures. The lamb was tender and aromatic, without having this typical lamb taste, lamb so often has. And the combination with the smooth potato mash and the other components worked a charm.
Last but not least, it was time for sweets – or what one could potentially call sweets. The display reminded me a lot of the “chocolate tower” in the Mugaritz, which I was enjoying back in 2019! However, it was not chocolate, but cheese.
Which was served with “crackers”.
The one dish of the cheese desserts, which really stuck with me was the middle one – melted camambert with garlic and local honey! An intensity of flavours, for sure, but also a super pleasant combination of such flavours and very much worth enjoying a lot!
Then, it was time for the actual dessert: “strawberry, yoghurt, geranium”. And to finalise the rather extensive lunch, this was nice and sweet, and also somewhat balanced off the ‘cheese taste’ of the previous course.
Last but not least, it was time for the “petit four chest” of which I had tried two pieces. Lovely and nice ending to a great meal!
What I liked a lot about La Colombe is not only the quality of the food, the price performance ratio (the little cave explorer experience aside), but also the attention to detail, the professionalism and attentiveness of the staff, the excitement of the sommelier and the generosity to have a different wines tried since the discussion with the sommelier was engaged.
But also the attention to detail throughout the whole journey. The plates are specifically designed for each course and really show how much they care. And that can also be felt in the service. They are so attentive, so friendly, and always focused on making sure that you are enjoying your stay there.
It starts at the entrance, where you can already see how well they are taking care of everything …
… with an appealing entry …
… and the different special kinds of plates they have used over the years for the different dishes (e.g., you can spot the cheese tower towards the upper middle on the right).
Last but not least, you also have a lovely view into the woods and the gardens of the restaurant …
… and you even get to watch the kitchen prepare your food if you don’t mind standing around.
And there is a little wine cellar as well (besides the ‘new one’ underground, where the ‘special course’ is served). So, you have everything you need and want here.
First off, make sure you book months in advance! Else, you won’t stand a chance to find a spot – especially not for dinner. But even for lunch it’s a challenge. Secondly, I would recommend you to go for the Chef’s Lunch experience, definitely a great one, but skip the ‘special course in the cellar’. As that dish (incl. wine) stands in no relation to the price of the rest of the menu. Other than that, an absolute must-visit when you’re in Cape Town!
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Contact Details:
Restaurant La Colombe Constantia
Silvermist Wine Estate
Main Road, Constantia Nek
7806 Cape Town (ZA)
Tel.: +27 21 794 2390
E-Mail: reservations@lacolombe.co.za
Homepage: https://lacolombe.restaurant/food
About the Author: Sven
I started the blog in October 2009, while living in Milan which I definitely consider to be one of the food capitals of the world. I was in touch with food since my early childhood (as my father is a former chef). Whenever I can, I travel the world to discover new places, to meet people but mostly to try local dishes and to find hidden gems! If you know a place worth going, please drop a line to: info@thediningexperience.org.
Currently, I am a member of the following food-related associations: Chevalier @Chaîne des Rôtisseurs Zurich-Ville; Membre Gourmet Dégustateur @Ordre Mondial des Gourmets Dégustateurs [OMGD]; Gesellschafter @Goldener Fisch and Member @Slowfood Convivium Zurich City. 
