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The sister restaurant to the award-winning La Colombe Restaurant in Constantia. Contemporary fine dining in Franschhoek, now situated at the beautiful Leeu Estates.
La Colombe (the dove) has consistently received world-wide acclaim and is positioned amongst the top restaurants in the world.
Visitors to Franschhoek can now look forward to experiencing the same level of service excellence and exquisite cuisine that has put La Colombe on the map – but with a new venture comes a new twist.
Gourmet Guide Description
A leisurely drive into the immaculately manicured Leeu Estate in
Franschhoek takes you one step closer to a unrivalled multi-course
journey that may even have required a flight. The marriage of a young,
talented and clever chef and luxury location has catapulted the ‘little
dove’ into a world-class, destination-dining drawcard.
Floor-to-ceiling glass reveals arresting vineyard views when seated in
the contemporary, stylish restaurant – the first in a series of reveals. A
wooden stack is opened to divulge the gifts from the kitchen. As you pop
what you may think is a green olive into your mouth, the tastes of green
chilli, pickled olive and anchovy detonate in a delightful riot of sensation
and taste. It’s part of an impressive amuse bouche array that was inspired
by chef Peter Duncan’s trip to San Sebastian and Barcelona.
Bread is served with caviar-covered smoked snoek pate, on a white
crockery feather, the next clue that Peter likes to dig deep into his Cape
roots and travels when conceptualizing plates. The result is fine dining
with pronounced flavours contrasting with more subtle elements.
There are many trademark touches from a tableside demo of confit
cooking to a sweet trolley that has you walking down memory lane. A
touch of whimsy is balanced by the complete commitment to excellence.
Dishes like the beef tartare with chipotle and smoked aioli, the duck
liver with quince and chestnut and the Karoo lamb with celeriac and
wild rosemary may read as pedestrian, yet the artful attention to detail
is superb. Crockery is beautiful and bespoke. Service is swift, kitchen
and front-of-house united in the goal of giving diners what they want,
and more. Choose from the chef’s experience or reduced menu, with tantalizing vegetarian options available for both. His vegan options
deserve loud applause – his sweetcorn velouté belying the fact that
there is no dairy.
“South African chefs need to push to newer levels, to slightly challenge
the international market,” claims Peter. Watch this space, he plans to
experience Mexico to amp up the heat, and Japan to learn more about
technique.
Reviews (2700)
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