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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

Dullstroom is one of those tourist traps that attracts more locals than foreigners. It’s about three hours out of Johannesburg and Pretoria – close enough to be a weekend escape for Safricans, but a little too out of the way for most tourists. Except the ones who want to fly-fish for trout. Dullstroom is smack in the middle of the only real fly fishing area in the country (though parts of the Western Cape do pretend to the throne.)
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That, unfortunately, is about all that Dullstroom has to offer. The scenery isn’t bad, so you can do the hiking or horse-riding thing, but frankly there are more spectacular places to do that all over the country. The major attraction, and we ain’t kidding, is the fact that it has the highest railway station in the country (just over 2 000 meters above sea level). So, with a flood of bored housewives abandoned by their fishing husbands and desperately eager to spend money somehow, Dullstroom has been transformed into a cute little shopping village. There is an astounding amount of ugly contemporary art, beadwork and suchlike on sale all over the place. The town also has some unexpected speciality stores, such as one offering nothing but clocks, mostly grandfather clocks.

It also has an incidence of restaurants that is utterly outrageous given the size and location of the town – and here you can find some of the finest trout dishes served anywhere in the world.

We’re not all that into Dullstroom – we bore too easily – but it’s a good place to run away to if you need to get out of the cities but still want to stay somewhere with running water, underfloor heating and satellite television.

Speaking of heating, beware of Dullstroom and surrounds in the winter. The place gets cold, really, really cold. It is no accident that the town features a fairly large purveyor of ski clothing. Take a scarf, and if you are staying over enquire as to the availability of fire places and electric blankets. If your car’s heater is broken, don’t go.

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Howzzzt recommends: 2Chefs Bistro, Dullstroom