Protege — Restaurant in Stellenbosch Local Municipality

Protégé is a casual fine-dining restaurant located in the heart of Franschhoek. We booked to visit the restaurant on our first night in Franschhoek, as it got great reviews. Upon arrival, we were greeted by the friendly service team who quickly seated us and talked through the menu concept. The restaurant serves a range of innovative small dishes using seasonal ingredients, and we’d just arrived in time to sample their new autumn menu.

We enjoyed a pre-dinner cocktail, and then the dishes started coming, with the first up being a small selection of breads and nibbles. Next up, we both sampled the Korean Fried Chicken which was very tasty, especially for such a simple ingredient. Next up I sampled the BBQ Pork Roti, which was delicious, albeit very awkward to eat. The dishes were beautifully presented and the flavors were well balanced.

The service at Protégé is attentive and friendly, however, towards the end of the meal and the final course, there was a very long wait for our main course. I’m not too sure what happened, but we were waiting for nearly 45 minutes for our final course. We arrived at 7:30pm and finally left at 10:30pm, skipping dessert. When we eventually chased the progress of our meal the team were happy to help, but it had soured the experience.

We did enjoy our Protégé experience, but unfortunately, I can’t give it 5 stars due to the final course taking so long to arrive. It is a fairly expensive restaurant, so I feel for the price paid, the score reflects the...

I recently had the pleasure of revisiting Leeu protégé in Franschhoek, and once again, it did not disappoint. The service was absolutely excellent, with the staff showcasing an exceptional level of kindness and attentiveness.

The interior of Lee protégé is nothing short of gorgeous, exuding a blend of elegance and comfort that made my stay truly memorable. One of my favorite aspects was the beautiful garden. The serene environment, combined with the stunning view, provided a perfect backdrop for relaxation.

A standout feature was the opportunity to watch the chefs cook, adding a delightful touch to the dining experience. This interactive element made the meal even more enjoyable, as we could see the passion and skill that went into preparing each dish.

Inside the garden, there is a large chessboard, which I thoroughly enjoyed playing with my partner while awaiting our food. This unique touch added an extra layer of fun to our visit, making the experience even more special. ❤️

Overall, my visit to Leeu protégé was wonderful, and I highly recommend it to anyone seeking a luxurious and welcoming retreat in...

Sitting by the chefs counter, we felt like being part of a soap opera. The experience started with the main female chef commenting “of course no egg, we are serving dinner here and no stupid breakfast”, after the friendly waitress had mentioned our Egg-intolerance to her - clearly a comment we did not expect to hear at a high-level restaurant with an open chefs counter & where staff proactively asks for any intolerances first. Throughout the evening, we tried but struggled to ignore the quite toxic politics going on in the open kitchen which reminded more of a bullying concepts with three chefs & one waiter teaming up against the rest. For sure every kitchen has its own dynamics, but this one did not only indicate an unhealthy, highly unequal work environment but due to the open chefs counter experience, also strongly affects the clients experience. The food - except the disappointing chocolate desert - was really delicious with great flavor combinations, but due to the bad experience above, we will in future choose to go to all the other superb restaurants that there are in Franschhoek but give...