What 141 people say about La Petite Colombe
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Best meal ever, my favourite restaurant.
Highly recommend this experience. We had been wanting to go to this restaurant for a while and I am so glad we finally did. The food was amazing, great dining experience and ambiance
Just wow.. what an incredible experience! From the service to the food to the setting, 10/10 would recommend. Many great memories made.
I’ve been wanting to visit La Petite Colombe for many years but I’ve never been able to find the time to drive out to Franschoek. I took my mother to La Colombe as her first fine dining experience and she absolutely loved it so I was excited to experience La Petite with her. It was the perfect excuse for a weekend a...
Read full reviewI’ve been wanting to visit La Petite Colombe for many years but I’ve never been able to find the time to drive out to Franschoek. I took my mother to La Colombe as her first fine dining experience and she absolutely loved it so I was excited to experience La Petite with her. It was the perfect excuse for a weekend away in the countryside and we had high expectations. We spent the day at Leeu Spa the day before and come back for La Petite the Saturday. The farm was incredible to explore in its grandeur. Upon arrival we were greeted by a host who emerged from the pass of the kitchen - that was the last we saw of him for the day. We enjoyed our cocktails and canapés in the atrium and then a waiter escorted us to a corner window-side table with the best view of the gardens and sculptures. I hadn’t asked previously but I was hoping they would place us there. Although throughout the lunch we found it to be hot and stuffy accompanied by the many unwelcome flies landing on our food. My mother was struggling to get through the many fish courses and left behind a few bites. She typically enjoyed the beef with a sigh of relief. I found my tastebuds quite exhausted at this point because the dishes were very spice heavy such as flavours like chipotle and dhanya. There were no palette cleansers between the fish and meat dishes so I called out for sommelier to guide us into the red wines. Although we made the choice to enjoy the reduced menu and not Include a kalamansi dish (which we’re assuming serves as the palette cleanser) between the fish and meat we still feel any menu whether reduced or not should include a palette cleanser and not at an extra cost as it should be the most inexpensive element. Our waiter then brought us a few tasters and settled on a Holden Manz wine which is one of my favourite wine farms in the area. Throughout the meal we found a few different faces delivering each dish with a more casual approach to fine dining and we should say service wasn’t as elegant as that of La Colombe. Between us girls, my mothers favourites were the olives and the oyster, mine were the bread course truffle pâté and the cheesy langbaken.
The sweets trolley was a playful ending my mother found herself enjoying the best piece of Turkish delight she has ever had. I enjoyed the chocolate bar. Paying for the bill was difficult as our waiter disappeared for a bit and the host was, again, at the kitchen pass.
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About La Petite Colombe
Cuisine: Fine Dining, Vegetarian
“A meal at La Petite Colombe restaurant is like doing the tango with a stranger. You enter the dance floor uncertain of what to expect, and when the music stops at the end, you are left breathless and speechless. And when words are not enough, only a hearty applause will do. I am clapping loudly right now..”
— Nidha Narrandes, Cape Town Etc.
La Petite Colombe
Contemporary fine dining in Franschhoek, now situated at the beautiful Leeu Estates. The 6th Best Restaurant in South Africa according to Eat Out Guide 2019.
John Norris-Rogers ~ Head Chef
Talented, young Cape Town chef, John Norris-Rogers, was appointed as Head Chef of La Petite Colombe in August 2017.
A 90’s child, born in Pretoria, and having lived in Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal, John Norris Rogers decided to make Cape Town his home after he completed school and chose to study at the Silwood School of Cookery, graduating after completing a coveted year-long internship at the award-winning La Colombe, under the mentorship of chefs Scot Kirton and James Gaag.