Go eat at La Colombe. Really.
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This review could be just that. Feasting (yes, not eating) at La Colombe is truly a phenomenal dining experience, from the food and drinks, to the service, to the venue and its views. If you can afford to go – because let’s be honest, it’s not exactly cheap – then you should certainly do so. You really won’t regret it. I’m not going to give away the details of everything that we had, because hey, leaving a little something to the imagination isn’t limited to clothing, and I don’t want to ruin the magic.
At La Colombe you have a choice between the a la carte menu, a 5 course pairing and the Gourmand pairing of 9 courses. The dishes may change slightly at the chef’s discretion, depending on the freshest, most delicious produce they can find. This is SOME what we had from the 9 course Gourmand Menu.
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Oyster
I’m generally not a fan of a cooked oyster, because in my mind they are perfection when raw. But this gigantic Namibian oyster was so delicately poached in a light velouté, it was still as tender as can be. The warm oyster still tasted fresh from the sea, especially with the help of Sevruga caviar, which was nicely contrasted with sweet Granny Smith apple and peppery radish. Great start.
Bone Marrow
I had one major problem with this dish – I happily could have eaten 10000000 pieces more. The richness of the decadent bone marrow was broken by lightly pickled white anchovies and deep-fried capers (I can’t believe I’ve never had deep-fried capers), then served on crisp sourdough bread. Each flavour built on to the others in a way that quite litrally blew my mind. And just like that, this little piece of deliciousness completely stole the show.
Palate Cleanser
Say au revoir to the flavoured sorbets, when a palate cleanser is more interesting than other restaurant’s main courses, you know why they’re at the top. Among an arrangement of pebbles, were two opaque white orbs made out of cocoa butter. When you popped it into your mouth and bit, your palate was hit with a chilled litchi and coconut water drink. Ooh. La. La.
Linefish
Sous-vide and then fried, these fillets of kingklip were served with a refreshing salsa verde velouté, a crisp tempura mussel, caramelised cauliflower puree, roasted cauliflower, a nut and lime crumble, lemon preserve, nori and chutney. *faints* This complicated dish came together in a beautifully simple way, as the contrasting flavours and textures worked perfectly together.
Lamb
Of course “lamb” doesn’t just mean “here’s a piece of lamb”. Roasted rack of lamb, with braised lamb tongue in a mustard rub with a herb crumble. This was served with caramelised onions, fluffy rosemary gnocchi, a herb puree, baby leeks and a lamb riband sherry jus. It was pure, unadulterated magnificence. Each piece of lamb was cooked perfectly. The gnocchi and puree both added variations of freshness, and the sherry added a kick. Just look at it, it’s beautiful.
That’s where I am going to leave things, so that you can discover the rest of the magic yourself. This is just 5 of the 9 courses we had the joy of experiencing. Perfect food, perfect service, a perfect location – it’s worth every cent.
PS: La Colombe is a finalist in the Klink Awards, SA’s only consumer-generated wine tourism competition, now in its 4th year.
Vote for them in the Best Gourmet Restaurant on a Wine Farm category by clicking here and stand a chance of wining some great (and delicious) prizes!
