If you’ve decided to let Richard Branson do the jetsetting and simply put your feet up and chill out this summer, then check out the hot spots in the Mpumalanga Lowveld.

The coolest place to be this season is the Artist’s Caf in Hendriksdal, on the N37 from Nelspruit to Lydenberg. Nestled in the mountains and surrounded by lush vegetation, this restaurant was once a railway station servicing the gold mining and timber industries. It’s now a delightfully laid-back rural Italian caf run by Trevor Dodd and his sister Brenda. Visitors can opt to sit indoors and enjoy the gallery with its ever-changing exhibitions of fine art and traditional craft or they can relax outdoors under the shady trees or on the verandah.

Staying with the railway theme is Shunter’s Express near Sabie. The owner, Match Ribbens, moved the former Barberton station and recreated it next to a 15ha man-made dam. The 16th century railway coaches, buffet car diner and saloon lie next to places with names like Revolver Creek and Sunset Ferry stations. It’s a great place to indulge in a leisurely Sunday breakfast in a first-class coach, with the starched white napkins, silverware, fine china and very correct service.

The trendiest spot for the thirtysomething group is currently the Bagdad Cafe outside White River. Off- beat and sometimes bizarre, this rustic restaurant always has original recipes to taste and interesting people to meet in the bar. Run by Allison Crossley and Steve Ryan, it has become home from a home for those-that-count on the local party circuit. Definitely the place to visit again and again this summer.

Another up-and-coming restaurant is the Zeederberg Coach House in Sabie. Owned by local artists Charl and Andrea Fourie, the decor has been thrown together in a rather cavalier fashion, bearing testimony to Charl’s ever-changing creative impulses - from Afro-renaissance to whitewashed minimalism and Ndebele geometrics.

Charl initially painted the exterior of the resturant-cum-bar-cum-coffeeshop in fluorescent orange and blue, which has subsequently been toned down to a Mexican red and deep olive green - still unmissable. Currently enjoying a love of wrought-iron, he’s made all the furniture and the chic functional artworks, while Andrea conjures in the kitchen.

The food is basic and down to earth in a healthy, tasty way, offering various South African dishes which make use of the freshest fruits, vegetables and herbs from their garden.

But if it’s quick, cheap and easy you’re looking for, try the Ocean Basket in Nelspruit. Although it’s part of a franchise, the service is unique and the living is easy. The manager and part-owner Henni Richards has injected the place with an irresistibly lively and friendly atmosphere. Nothing is ever too much trouble, the waitrons must be among the most efficient and patient, and clients are encouraged to stay from lunchtime to dinner, lounging out on the balcony overlooking the town.

So why not indulge in a bit of that invigorating Lowveld magic?

Artists Cafe (013) 754-2309, Bagdad Cafe (013) 751-1777, Ocean Basket (013) 752-7193, Shunters Express (013) 764- 1777, The Zeederberg Coach House (013) 764-2630
Reference : https://mg.co.za/article/1998-12-11-high-times-in-the-lowveld