Located on a historic wine estate situated just beyond the main strip of Franschhoek’s little village, Grande Provence-The Restaurant is considered one of South Africa’s top 10 restaurants, and not to be missed if you’re up for a spot of truly fine dining in Cape Town. In a formal dining space attached to beautiful gardens, and right alongside a magnificent cellar (the mildew-covered underground brick cellar, in fact, is where Prince Edward and Sophie held private dinners when they were here), the atmosphere is hushed and old school, despite the fresh, contemporary seating arrangement of throne-like white leather high-back chairs. It’s a well-lit dark-walled space that alludes faintly to the farm setting, but is in no way rustic or casual-the kitchen is just about as large as the dining room, and service is as friendly and unassuming as it tries hard to be gracious. You decide how many dishes you want from the menu (from R280 for three courses, without wine), with no distinction between starters and mains-if you’re hungry, you’ll want to go for at least four dishes, the approach to plating being that you shouldn’t burn out after tasting just two courses. Sunday lunch is accompanied by entertainment by an excellent Marimba band featuring an angel-voiced lead singer.