On the 2nd night of our 3 day stint in Cape town, the rains came – Whoop! Whoop!!! And why this is exciting? Well, there has been a drought in the city and so having some rain fall is a blessing. I am all about that silver lining you know? Ahh SA, you have blown my mind with your food and wine – helllooooo Pinotage! We dined at La Colombe, one of South Africa’s acclaimed finest dining places and they live up to that reputation. Aside from the location of the restaurant which is dope – located at the top of Constantia Nek overlooking the wine valley, False bay and Hout Bay! I told you DOPE! I loved how they used quirky items which in turn displayed the restaurant’s attention to detail. The 10 – course menu was a fusion of Asian and French classics served up in a modern twist .
The Tuna ‘La Colombe’ is just the coolest thing ever! The yellow fin tuna was in an umami broth, avocado, shiitake and sesame was served in can! Think sardines or mackerel that you buy in the store! We had to peel back the cap to open the can up and voila! The accompanying wine was a vondeling babiana ‘white blend’ comprising chenin blanc, grenache blanc, viognier and chardonnay grapes, yep! – a rare blend. The slightly creamy smooth taste that lingers with the fruitiness of the wine made the tuna pop!
Another fave for us was the Korean style beef tataki. Generally, beef tataki is the Japanese method of preparing fillet of beef. Essentially, meat is sliced thinly like sashimi, marinated, seared and served with citrus soy. Chef James kept to the same principle with the beef but served his with dukkah, romesco and hoison. The dukkah & romesco gave a crunchy, nutty and ‘soulful’ element to the dish. It truly was beef tataki with a twist and served with Syrah from Rijk’s estate which is a pinotage red wine!
Chef James then serves Mozambican langoustine with sweet breads? Hold up! First off langoustine is a form of shell fish, while sweet breads is usually the gut, throat or belly of a calf. Exactly?! How in the world do these two dishes work on the same plate? Well Garman vs food community, it does. This is why Chef James is Chef James, you get me? The langoustine and sweet breads were standalone items on the plate accompanied with coriander, sweet potato and snoek dressing. The sweet potato looked like caramel flakes on the dish and the dressing? Omg! yummy! I really like when palate cleansers don’t look like palate cleaners and the one here was kinda cool. It was lemon sorbet served in white bowls, looked like eggs to be fair placed on a bed of ice and leaves .. kinda looked like the jungle lol, it tasted very refreshing too.
Dessert was a sponge cake which was just right – moist enough and made with pineapple, chamomile, sesame and honeycomb served with the fantastic klein constatina vin de constance 2014. As with any muscat, this wine on its own is delicious, bursting with apricot, honey and tangerine notes, combined with the sponge cake, err think AMPLIFIED sensations on your palate. Desert number 2 (chef James was not done), was cheese and artichoke ice cream. Yep! mind blown! it it was served on a cheese board and it was gorgeous!
Ahh La Colombe, you know how to put on a show! The creativity, boldness, spunk and playfulness from your chefs is evident in the way you present your dishes; the amuse bouche and pallet cleanser were FIRE! Every dish was a fascinating surprise and executed to perfection! Bravo!!! Check to my autographed menu too!
Gesondheid
Ndidi & Neal
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