Our second night in wine country took us to the one year old "younger sister" of the famed La Colombe in CapeTown which has settled into gorgeous digs where the world famous Le Quartier Francais held court as one of the world's top dining spots for years. We were warmly welcomed into the intimate space with blonde wood floors, well-spaced tables with elegant white linens and comfy upholstered tan chairs. This was our first sighting of a real linen napkin(they use paper almost everywhere due to the water crisis), although it was quite small in size. At the back corner of the dining room was a large opening in the huge kitchen were we also later went to "meet the chefs," and a small bar is at the front, although it was empty.
There are only two dining options here, a set menu of 10+ courses for 1195rand($83) or 7+ for 795rand($55) and these can be paired with wines as well(800 or 550rand respectively or $53/$37US). Tell me where you can go anywhere in Napa or another fine wine district of the USA, France or even Spain and dine for this amount at the top restaurant. We all did varying options and Sam even had a complete veggie option(995 or 680rand=$66 or $45), so the staff were super accommodating with that as well as allergies and dislikes. They also agreed to pair non-alcoholic options for the folks that did not drink and the sommelier Andrew graciously took it on as a challenge and succeeded.
The first "course" which I did not count in the above numbers was Caraway Sourdough, home churned butter, sesame and roasted yeast which came powdered on top of the butter. It was indeed a tasty bread, but we knew how much was coming and refrained.
The first course was a Poached Oyster in Pernod, Grapefruit, Verjuice, Dill, Apple & Celery which was switched to the veggie/non shellfish option for us as we detest Pernod. I adored the Pea Veloute, although it was more frothy than a true creamy veloute with and came with quail egg, lemon, radish, pea dust, shoots and a cucumber salsa verde. Colmant Blanc de Blanc N/V from local Franschhoek was a nice refreshing pairing, but paled next to the amazing Le Lude top notch bubbly Will & I had tasting at a private tasting that morning.
Sam chose the Asparagus, Kimchi, Avocado, Kalamansi & Sesame which came with an Apple Fresca cocktail made with lime, burnt lime, lychee and mint.
Yellowfin tuna came with aubergine, miso, kalamansi gel, avocado, apple, kimchi, fennel and sesame and was a superb dish if muted even with all the ingredients. The paired Mullineux "Old Vines" 2016 from Swartland was tasted the day before as we stayed at the Leeu Estates which merged with Mullineux. All their wines are superb and this Swartland blend of Chenin Blanc, Clarette Blanc, Grenache Blanc, Sauvignon Gris(yes there is such a grape) and Vioginier is a huge winner in my mind.
"Cape Wagyu" beef came sliced thin with a thinly sliced Scallop, Bone Marrow, Celeriac & Wild Garlic Broth, Horseradish, Gochujang & Pickled Shitake Gel. This was a superb blend of surf and turf and paired with a Domaine de Dieux Chardonnay 2011 from Hemel-en-Arde which was also superb. I wondered why in later winter here they chose to do so many white wines(there were only 2 reds), but they were indeed all superb.
Sam had moved on to Miso Aubergine, Egg Noodles, Gochujang, Celeriac & Wild Garlic Broth with Yaki-reduced paste, so you can see how they take the meat/fish options and make them vegetarian. The non shellfish version simply replaced the scallop with extra Wagyu! A lime/cranberry/apple drink arrived with dehydrated blood orange for Sam & Steven.
Ravioli of Langoustine with curried Hake Veloute, caramelised Cauliflower Puree and Coriander Foam having a distinct curry flavor and was paired with a Saxenberg "Limited Release" 2011 from Stellenbosch which blended 50% Sauvignon Blanc aged in steel and 50% Semillion in oak which was a nice take on the traditional Bordeaux white.
At this point we were all asked to head over to the kitchen counter where the young head chef explained his take on the British breakfast "Egg & Soldiers." Small egg cups broken off at the top had a sauce of foie gras and small finger sandwiches of foie gras were laid atop the shell for us to dunk in the "sauce." It was indeed divine, and the paired wine was a also a play "Die Soldat" Grenache 2016 from Ouwingerdreeks in Piekenierskloof was a brilliant red.
After the little show called "Meet the chefs" on the menu where the chef had indeed introduced much of the kitchen staff and explained their jobs, we returned to the table for a Palate Cleanser of Black Orange Sorbet served in a frozen orange rind.
Linefish, which is the generic South African term for fish of the day, came next, and was Mauritian Sea Bass, here with soubise, smoked Mussel, Squid, Endive, Chorizo & Creamed Leeks in a Beurre Blanc. We went back to white wine with a Rickety Bridge "Paulina's Reserve" Semillon 2016 made just down the street, but I was still craving red wine which would have worked with the fish & chorizo if a lighter Pinot Noir or such. Will really detests Semillon and got a replacement of Rijk 2011 Chenin Blanc.
The veggie plate was Butternut Harissa Risotto with herb mousse, soubise & hazelnut dukkah, paired with a Rooibos Teas iced with cinnamon and star anise fashioned like and "Old Fashioned."
Our next course was the Seared Duck Breast with Creamed Leeks, turnip, Jerusalem artichokes, Savoy Cabbage, Rhubarb & Lavender Jus paired(finally) with a delicious red Bouchard Finlayson "Galpin Peak" Pinot Noir 2016 from Hemel-en-Arde(a region that literally means "heaven on earth").
This was the end of the savory courses and we moved onto two desserts(one if you did the shorter menu as two of the above courses were also choices if you took the shorter menu):
Foxenberg Goat's Cheese with curd, Goat's Milk Caramel(think cajeta), kouign amann(a croissant like pastry), Guava Ice Cream and Tamarind Crumbs paired with an okay Vondeling Sweet Carolyn 2007 Muscat from Voor-Paardeberg, a region I had never even heard of....but then there are so many!
The second dessert was the winner of Valrhona Itakuja(55% dark Brazilian chocolate) Cremeux with Pineapple, Mango, Macadamia, Crumb, Passionfruit(I think they said the chocolate was fermented with passionfruit?) and Lemongrass Dust with Mango Sorbet. The Thelema Late Harvest Semillon 2014 from Stellenbosch was a sweet viscous hit as well.
Le Petite Colombe Treasures was the last "course" and arrived in an adorable treasure chest containing Roasted white chocolates and Salted Caramel Macaroons.
Please don't ask how much weight we have gained and I have tried to hit the gym daily...it's tough, and I will head there now.
Will thought the meal a huge hit, I personally felt some of the courses were big hits, but overall it fell short of what a 3star Michelin should be, although they don't have those ratings here.
