A casual fine-dining restaurant inside Le Quartier Français where La Colombe’s young chefs cook a multi-course tasting menu at a fraction of Franschhoek’s top-tier prices — the smartest splurge meal in the valley.
- —The training-ground restaurant of the La Colombe group, run by young chefs cutting their teeth on a serious tasting menu.
- —It’s the splurge that earns its keep — a memorable, properly-plated meal without paying the full La Colombe or Le Quartier Français markup.
- —The move: the Reduced Menu for the tasting experience without the eight-course commitment, or Chefs’ Favourites if this is your one big night.
What’s it like?
Protégé sits inside Le Quartier Français, in the heart of Franschhoek, and the name tells you everything — this is where the La Colombe group hands its young chefs the keys. Scot Kirton built it as a place for talent to come up, which means you get the precision and ambition of a fine-dining kitchen with none of the hush. There’s a central show kitchen, an easy room, and a team that’s clearly enjoying itself. The food leans bold — Asian flavours laced through classic French technique — and it’s plated like it costs twice what it does. This is the splurge side of the Five-Star Math: you’re paying for the meal, not the address. It lands for both camps, too — the serious foodies chasing the La Colombe pedigree, and anyone put off by the full Michelin-starred song and dance. The food is ambitious; the room is relaxed about it.
What should I order?
Decide how big a night you want. The Chefs’ Favourites is the full eight-course statement — the one to book if this is the dinner of the trip. The Reduced Menu is the sweet spot for most: the same kitchen, the same ambition, less commitment. Both have proper vegetarian versions, not afterthoughts. And order the wine pairing or lean on the list — this is winelands country, and the room is built for it.
Featured in: The Five-Star Math (Cape Town) →
- Address: Le Quartier Français, Cnr Berg & Wilhelmina Street, Franschhoek
- Price: Splurge — multi-course tasting menus (roughly R1,300–1,700pp), plus service. Confirm current menus on the site.
- Hours: Lunch and dinner — book ahead via the site.
- Book / site: lacolombe.restaurant/protege
