I try out new nose to tail eatery, La Tete

by Karisa

One of the restaurants that’s all the hype right now is La Tete which is located in lower Bree St.  It’s a “nose to tail” establishment meaning that they use every possible part of an animal, thus minimising waste, but at the same time also creating some really “interesting” dishes that may not be to everyone’s taste.

17 Bree St – where Orinoco used to be…

Before my visit I thought of myself as a relatively open-minded food lover, willing to try most things, but I have to say it turns out that nose to tail eating really isn’t my thing…  But before we get there, let me first tell you more about the dinner my friend D and I had.

So La Tete is owned by Chef Giles Edwards and his brother James.  Giles has just returned from a 10 year stint in London where he was quite well known within the nose to tail dining space.  The brothers dreamed of bringing this style of eating to Cape Town, and so La Tete was born.

Decor wise it kinda feels like a butchery slash school dining hall.  Can’t say I loved it overall, particularly because it felt a bit sterile, but I did love the lights though.


The menu changes daily, so you never really know what you’re going to get.  They do mix in a few more “regular” dishes for those who are less adventurous and then they also seem to have one or two dishes in addition on the night, for example on our night they had rabbit as an additional option.

Was actually really keen on trying the lamb shoulder, but we were only 2 people sadly…

There was a lot of going back and forth, but in the end we decided to try the following:

Crispy pig tails… D enjoyed these, I tried but couldn’t do it… In my mind I pictured a tiny, curly tail just like you see on cartoon piggies. When these huge tails arrived, I completely lost my nerve.

Salt hake, cucumber & mint salad… A safe option I thought, but I found this very bland…

This was the rabbit special… It was enjoyable, I just felt the R185 price tag made it a bit crazy, especially because it didn’t come with a side or anything else…

D had the pig head pie & really enjoyed it. I had a small bite, but again, just couldn’t do it.

For dessert we opted for 6 madeleines… They were beautifully fluffy, I just wished they came dipped in something or even with a sprinkle of icing sugar.  Felt very bare just as is.

So ja, overall I have to be honest and say I doubt I’d go back.  I left still a bit hungry and my portion of the bill came to R435 (with tip).  D on the other hand enjoyed it more than I did, but also felt that it was a pricey meal for what we had.

I’m not going to give La Tete a score because this really just wasn’t my vibe in any way.  But to keep things fair, I’m going to give you my friend D’s score.  He settled on kiss3on my Miss K Kiss-o-Meter scale.

A far braver foodie than myself?  Then give them a call on 021 418 1299.  By the time we left, the place was packed, so I do recommend that you book in advance.

La Tete is open: Tuesday – Friday: 12pm – 11pm; Saturday: 6pm – 11pm

xxx

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