Prue Leith Culinary Institute: Restaurant Review
For my 30th birthday dinner, Wilhelm took me to the Prue Leith Culinary Institute Restaurant. We had a wonderful evening and thoroughly enjoyed the food and the private dining vibe! I highly recommend it for a unique dining experience in Pretoria. The restaurant is just about 45 minutes from Joburg.
Prue Leith Culinary Institute: Vibe
The dining experience was very special at Prue Leith. Our server was attentive, and the chef came out several times to check on us.
There are both indoor and outdoor dining table options at the Prue Leith Culinary Institute. We chose to sit on the balcony outside. Although there was also a garden table reserved for us, I was worried about getting bitten by curious grass insects in the springtime…
Prue Leith Culinary Institute: Restaurant
To start the evening, we were offered an amuse-bouche before our starter arrived. Next, we were served our two main dishes. Each was excellent and the perfect portion size considering that we also needed to save some room for dessert!
The starter: TWICE BAKED BELNORI GOAT’S CHEESE SOUFFLÉ, with steamed asparagus, toasted marula nuts, and mint.
YELLOWTAIL & MUSSEL “BUNNY CHOW,” with curried yellowtail and Saldanha bay mussel. Served in brioche with shaved fennel and lemon salad, and coriander gremolata.
VEGETABLE MILLEFEUILLE served with grilled baby marrow and aubergine. Layered with mature cheddar and cream cheese, sautéed kale, tender stem broccoli, red onion chips, and Parmesan foam.
For dessert, we ordered two dishes. The Xigugu Ice Cream Popsicle was very unique. We had to ask what Xigugu meant… And, it was explained to us as having a peanut butter taste. I love peanut butter! The ice cream is perfect for these Gauteng summer evenings.
(Left) XIGUGU ICE CREAM POPSICLE served with raspberry granité, Xigugu butterscotch sauce, candied peanuts, and raspberries.
(Right) CHILLED LEMON MOUSSE WITH BLUEBERRIES, served with vanilla sugar cookies, Valrhona white chocolate ganache, lemon curd, poppyseed tuile, and blueberry coulis.
Check out the menu here.
When to visit and who to visit with?
The Prue Leith Culinary Institute Restaurant is perfect for an intimate special occasion (like a birthday or anniversary).
It felt like we had a private dining experience.
As with all South African restaurants, I recommend making a reservation for dinner.
Additionally, if you’re going for a special occasion, it’s nice that the staff is extra attentive. A special Italian sweet wine was served with dessert to celebrate my birthday.
Budget at Prue Leith Culinary Institute
If you’re here for a special occasion, then you’ll probably go all out as we did. We ordered appetizers, mains, and a dessert.
Starters range between R90-R180. Mains are in the R200 range. And desserts are around R75-R150.
Wine bottles range from R350 up to R1700. We got one for around R500 (which is how you can tell it was a special evening for us!)
Considering the uniqueness of the food and the exceptional service, you’ll be sure to leave happy!