la Belle Constantia by Kove Collection — Restaurant in Constantia

Lovely service from our waitress Sam this morning. She was an absolute star throughout the morning! Attentive and so pleasant.

It was a colleague's birthday and we surprised her with breakfast at La Belle. Sam, our waitress was so sweet, she provided a complimentary brownie for the birthday lady with a candle! The birthday girl was utterly delighted.

We were a group of 5 and everyone overall enjoyed their food. Between us we had eggs benedict salmon/ bacon and BLT sandwiches, cappuccinos/ lattes/ fruit juice. The coffees were ok. I was surprised to be served a cappuccino in a cup slightly bigger than an expresso sized cup - this is the standard size apparently. On querying why the cup was so small I was advised that I could have it in a tea cup which for me is a normal sized cup for a cappuccino anyway. It was a bit disappointing that a cafe which is also a bakery does not provide complimentary biscottis with their cappuccinos.

We brought in personalised birthday cup cakes from Charlys Bakery and was advised that as per the manager we would be charged cakeage per person of R25... I was not overly delighted about that but I should have perhaps checked first what their cafe's policy is regarding this.

We were seated indoors as it was too breezy to sit outdoors. From what I saw the outdoor seating is pleasant but overlooks the car park with a view that is not very inspiring. There was no evidence of management presence, however there was a manager in the cafe but he hovered near the front door and made no attempt to check up on us and establish that everything was ok. An observation is that buildings on the property appear in need of maintenance/ attention.

Overall an average experience, no real atmosphere in the cafe, no smell of baked goods, very little, if any ambience in the cafe. Total bill for 5 people was R753 excl the tip (meals & beverages + cakeage). Not sure if I would return to La Belle. There are other options with similar offerings with much more stunning/ pleasant settings.

With the exception of our lovely waitress Sam, I left feeling very underwhelmed and...

One of my favourite places in Cape Town and have visited many times over the years. Generally, the food has been good in the past but my family was very disappointed with the baked items on offer for afternoon tea.

We arrived at 14:30 and most of the bakery items were finished. A very poor selection. Quite bizarre considering people usually want tea and cakes on a Sunday afternoon. There was one portion of scones left and we were told that they generally don't make too many scones because of fear of wastage. We were also advised that we should phone ahead of time in future and have cakes/scones set aside.

The portions of all the baked items were small. The frangipane tart wasn't the best. Very sweet and very small slice. The scones were crumbly and fell apart and not the best flavour. Quite different to the experience a year ago, where we considered them one of the best when compared to other establishments in the area.

The only carrot cake option was vegan and the apple crumble again, was more crumble than apple and very dry. Cream is offered as an optional extra for 'vegan' reasons?? The cheesecake was fair but there was confusion as to the 'flavours'.

In all, not the best experience and some of the staff are a little on the rude side. The whole experience felt 'disorganized' and disappointing.

I will return because of the love of the setting but definitely will think twice about going to La Belle for 'afternoon tea and cake'. I hope that the standards on the lunch and breakfast options, haven't dropped as well. It would be...

La Belle is a wonderful spot if you want to get away from the rat race. This little gem is perfect indoors and out. In good weather it's so relaxing to sit under the old oak trees (blankets are available if it gets a touch chilly). This is the place to linger in the late afternoon.

Although the menu is on the pricier side the dishes are definitely worth it - except for their toasted chicken on rye sandwich for R75 which, although filling and tasty, is quite off-puttingly tiny when served on a dinner plate with no sides or even a garnish to make it appear that it's value for money. If you are looking for a toasted chicken sandwich here rather opt for the other breads available if you don't want to feel robbed.

Their food, from steak to fish and veggies, is always good quality and delicious. My new favourite on the menu at the moment is their buttermilk chicken burger, it's hearty and always hits the right spot.

They make THE BEST New York baked cheesecake and also serve gluten-free treats that will knock your socks off. You'll want to order your scones when you sit down before you order anything else as they sell out quickly and are a must-have with your coffee or tea after your meal.

La Belle is perfect for lunch, afternoon tea/coffee or dinner. Phone ahead and make a reservation to be guaranteed a table as sometimes it is fully booked. At least if you turn up and can't get a seat you can buy their bakes as takeaways - their cheesecake makes...