The name of this brasserie in Cape Town, Dear Me, may have come from the numerous frustrating battles the owners and designers Francois du Plessis Interiors had with the South African Heritage Society as they tried to get the place up and running with a modern yet sympathetic restoration of the 200-year-old building while still complying with health and safety regulations. Perhaps the original name of Oh, For Fuck’s Sake didn’t test well with the focus groups?

However, they got there in the end and the result is a very charming multi-purpose outlet that combines an eat-in dining area, a pantry shop and the other-worldly White Room, a rather special function room that’s so brilliantly subtle you can hardly see it. In contrast, the other dining space was designed to resemble “granny’s place” (not my gran’s place by the look of it) with a more homely feel.

Design features throughout reflect the ethos and produce used in Dear Me; honeycomb wine rack, flowered plates and hanging pot plants give an earthy, green feeling. Definitely worth all the effort in the end.