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It’s not exactly an African experience in the sense that tourists so often expect (no bare-breasted dancing women, for example), but The Observatory is a pretty special dinner venue. And if you’re from the northern hemisphere it offers something you won’t get at home.

The restaurant is connected to an honest-to-God observatory with a 62cm (or 25 inch) telescope, a Newtonian/Cassegrain Bradford made by the Rand Corporation. It is apparently the biggest pro scope in private hands in this half of the world, and how exactly the restaurant came to own it has not been explained entirely to our satisfaction. Even if it did fall off the back of a truck, it’s a wicked-cool piece of equipment, and you don’t need to be an astronomy buff to appreciate it.

In fact, you don’t need to know anything about astronomy whatsoever. Between courses the resident astronomer will walk you through everything from the basic composition of the Milky Way to the nature of stellar nurseries. All you need to do is climb up the ladder and look through the eyepiece and see the pretty lights.

It’s not great for children under ten or so, and in mid-winter you’d better bundle up real good, but otherwise there just isn’t a downside. The limited menu offers great food at startlingly low prices, the venue is personal and the star gazing is unmatched. The restaurant is a little way outside of Johannesburg (but 45 minutes will still put you back at your city hotel) and is part of the Cradle of Humankind area, so it makes a nice end to a day outing.

If you like astronomy, use the opportunity to see the southern hemisphere skies. If you don’t normally look at the skies, consider it an educational opportunity. Just pick a cloudless night.

The Observatory
Aloe Ridge Hotel and Game Reserve
Zwartkop Gorge
Zwartkops
Tel: 011 957 2070
www.aloeridgehotel.com

So Dullstroom (as you know, if you’ve read our quick guide to it), has a whole lot of restaurants for a place so miniscule. One thing it is remarkably short of, though, is decent vegetarian fare. There’s plenty of trout, unsurprisingly enough, and the usual flash-frozen vegetarian lasagne that should have been declared a crime against humanity years ago. But if you are looking for something a little exotic or exciting, you are bang out of luck.

Or so we thought, until we discovered the 2Chefs Bistro. It’s on the main drag but tucked away in a corner and not particularly well sign-posted. Look for the hugely and gaudily branded Rose Cottage, then turn your back on it, cross the street, and you are there. Doesn’t look like much, does it? Now ignore the decor and look at the menu instead.

We can’t promise that it will be there for much longer, because it’s not pulling the kind of traffic that a restaurant needs to make a decent profit. But while it’s there, it’s really worth a visit. The long list of vegetarian dishes is varied and amazing. They serve a mean ostrich, and the usual tea-garden menu is pretty snazzy in itself.

This is not a high-volume joint, so each dish is prepared with attention to detail. And the serving staff are always glad to see you and, more importantly, your tips.

If you do go to Dullstroom (and don’t say we didn’t warn you when you get bored), give it a try and let us know what you think.

The official address:
2Chefs Bistro
Willobrook Centre
Naledi Drive
Dullstroom
Tel: 013 254 0920