It takes a big man – in stature and spirit, to run a kitchen made famous by another chef and yet, looking at his extensive CV that lists the myriad top hotels and kitchens he’s worked in, I can’t think of another better for the job.

The gossip at the time Frank Dangeroux resigned from Constantia Uitsig’s La Colombe was that the new owners of the estate required him to keep to a budget, clipping the love dove’s wings. I launch my enquiry: “Have you been limited to a food-costs budget and is management breathing down your neck?”   “The new owners have not asked me to meet budgets”, he says, “In this restaurant, on this farm, we have to deliver the absolute best of the best – we source the best products from the best suppliers. This is their flag ship restaurant and management understands this.”

I’m meeting Dale-Roberts after an extensive media tasting. When he asked me about the food, I sheepishly have to tell him I was so engrossed in conversation that I wasn’t paying the requisite attention. I remembered the veal sweetbreads with almond cream and on a previous occasion, a salmon with teriyaki and chickpeas that confirmed (to me anyway) that he was a highly skilled and nuanced chef.

Born in Britain, Dale-Roberts (35) trained at the renowned Baur Au Lac Hotel in Zurich – at the time recognised as one of the top five hotels in the world. He returned to London and the art of French Fine Dining at ‘Elenas L’Etoile’ under Kevin Hopgood, a Roux protégé. A move to the Greenwood Hotel in Sydney dishing up Pacific Rim cuisine followed. Back again to London in 1998 to the Bali Sugar (member of the Sugar Club restaurants before heading to Soho House Media Club and a position as Executive Sous Chef cooking for the likes of Madonna, Kevin Spacey, Kylie Minogue and Oasis although, he admits, it wasn’t fine dining. Remaining in London, he took up his first position as Executive Chef, working for the Accor Hotel Group’s ‘The Loft’. In 2002 the Accor Group offered him the opportunity to relocate to Singapore as Mission Executive Chef to open its signature concept restaurant in Asia, ‘The Square’. After this, he accepted a consulting contract with the Sofitel Hotel in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, before moving to Seoul, Korea for the Accor Group once again where he developed a Modern French Bistro. Here he also launched ‘Shune’ a leading modern Japanese dining concept, working with top Japanese chefs from the famous Shunju group in Tokyo to present a menu of traditional Japanese, and modern Japanese ‘Nobu’ style dishes. His four-and-a-half year stint in the Orient concluded in 2006 at the Sofitel Hotel in Manila, Philippines where, as Executive Chef, he launched ‘Spiral’, a restaurant incorporating Indian, Chinese, Korean, Japanese and Mediterranean sections that was voted ‘Best Interactive Dining Experience’ in the Philippines.

With so many moves over the decade I asked if La Colombe would just be another entry on his CV? “I’m here to stay – I’m settled now”, he says, “I’m happy with my South African wife and Finley our baby son and I’m comfortable: I’m left alone to cook here.” Dale-Roberts actually knew Frank previously and his taking up the role was initially tricky. His wife had also worked at La Colombe but is now focusing on fulltime motherhood. “We have no plans to work together; she may go back to eventing or fashion, but in her own time.”

Frank had left three months prior to Dale-Roberts taking the helm. “It was tough when I arrived. The kitchen had been without a chef and it was a little stale. I arrived at the peak season and we were full for lunch and dinner but were under staffed,” he says while I think that somehow this man was born with an ability to deal well with pressure. “My main objective was to get my food on the menu as quickly as possible, but I was more comfortable riding out the storm with the team knowing what they were doing, rather than doing my food badly. By mid January it was my new menu. It was hard as well, the first six to eight weeks especially. I didn’t have the right team: One kept fainting and we had two, second-year students from Silwood. One broke her arm and our griller got shot and died in Khyalitsha.”

Today, he says he has a strong sous chef and also a strong junior sous chef and has appointed chef de partie (department heads)making them accountable for what goes wrong.

His menu is sympathetic to La Colombe’s Provencal roots. “I didn’t want a very different menu. Half the regulars who try it will notice something different. I still like to cook French food which is subtle and classically focused but I’ve got some Yuzu (Japanse citrus) which I’m playing around with for a twist. I’m also doing dishes like cured duck served with ginger. I’d like to offer a tasting menu – I love the idea of miniaturised dishes that can give a taste impact- but I understand that a lot of people want three courses and a decent portion with lots of sauce, so will offer that too.”

“I’ve moved the pastry section to the back of the kitchen which is cooler and I have freed up the front to allow for more finishing on the pass (the last place in the kitchen before dishes are served) where I might add another element to the food.”  

The veal sweetbreads is one of his favourite dishes too. “The almond cream will dry your mouth while the grapes wet it. I cooked them in a blanc after cleaning them by running water on them for a long time until they’re white. Next I pan fry them and deglaze with a truffle jus which I reserve and serve with the dish. It just came to me – sweetbread, grapes and almond and cardamom cream.

He also especially likes the beetroot tart fine: “this is based on a classic french pastry but here it is with beetroot and a puff pastry disc. We make a relish out of cooked beetroot with a bit of cloves, vinegar, sugar some grated apple and we put in the middle of the tart. Then fan the beetroot on top, top this with a goats cheese fondant and garnish with confit garlic.”

His seared tuna carpaccio is made by searing the freshest tuna and slicing it thinly just before service, “I like the slightly burnt tuna taste. The idea is to create a really fresh, perfectly seared fish. The dressing is made with an orange balsamic, parmesan cheese and a touch of rosemary. I wanted something a little fruity, vinegary and mushroomy (by adding pickled chanterelles and finishing with fresh truffles.)”

As a starter he recommends the foie gras with quinces poached in white wine and lots of vanilla. “I reduce this to a syrup, and then I make another syrup of red wine, port, balsamic vinegar and star anise. The vanilla and star anise works – for me this is autumn - a bit of fruit, nut and spice. To make, warm the quinces, endive and walnut oil and pan fry foie gras adding a few drops of syrup and macadamia nuts (which are the best I’ve ever seen.)

It’s served with Mudumbi (African potato) which is good to fry and makes lovely chips. The nuts give it a buttery element. The foie gras must just be seared to the point that it isn’t hard. We want it gooey inside. Over cooked it is just liver.

Dale-Roberts grew up in East Sussex, his father a Professor of Composition at the Royal Collage of Music while his mother a shiatsu reflexologist. His sister is in pharmaceutical PR. “I used to always help my mum cook and I got into professional cooking by chance. I was accepted to engineering collage but my uncle was the general manager of a hotel in Saudi Arabia and opportunity knocked.”

His culinary references include Tom Atkins and Giorgio Locatelli. “I think Alain Ducasse is a genius, they’re great, they know subtlety. I used to love the wow factor from fusion chefs but that cuisine relied on new tastes which we hadn’t yet experienced. I find some fusion dishes a bit clumsy now – I’m after subtle.” Join him.