While La Chaumiere is technically located on Liberation Road, its compound is set back from the three-lane rush of traffic up a short access ramp. That makes it somewhat difficult for first-timers to find, but also protects the calm, tasteful environment this expat favourite has managed to cultivate. With contemporary Ghanaian art on the walls and a small but well-stocked cocktail bar in one corner, it comfortably earns a place among the city’s nicest dining rooms, even if the acoustics start to grate as it fills up.

It is only Accra’s second-best French restaurant – top spot goes to Le Tandem – but La Chaumiere’s additional range of North African dishes make it a valuable addition to the city’s restaurant scene. The grouper with harissa is justly celebrated, taking a firm fish usually found drenched in oil and garlic and coating it with warm, spicy flavours offset with yoghurt. You’ll also find a few tagines, of which the lamb version is by far the best, delivering a deeper, punchier flavour than the rather underpowered chicken.

Elsewhere, there are the inevitable French classics – frogs’ legs, pate, onion soup – and good steaks with a range of sauces. You can also splash out on lobster, which is a safe bet here; you will get proper, meaty pieces from adult animals. Too many fishermen and kitchens are turning to juvenile squibs to meet demand, which poses long-term problems for the fishing industry as well as a short-term ones for the diner.

Desserts measure up well in a city that rarely pulls them off: try the profiterole cake or creme brulee, both serviceable and well-presented.

It’s all washed down with a surprisingly good-value wine list, drawn mostly from France, South Africa and Latin America, and featuring a few options by the glass. Save room, though, for the little night-cap the owner will offer you.