Mozambique needs more bistros like Soul Gourmet. With a leafy, bougainvillea-framed terrace lit by fairy lights and an air-conditioned, indoor, shabby chic lounge, this place is the perfect marriage of hip and homely. It’s just a shame about the steep prices; they make it something of a den of exclusivity, frequented mostly by wealthier Mozambicans, expats, and stylish fashionistas.

Come on a Thursday night, when the terrace moves to the sweet sounds of live jazz from the likes of The Real Jazz Project – a trio that’s garnering fame in music-loving Maputo. They start slowly and softly, with a saxophone solo filling the occasional gap in conversation, and then as the night wears on, they pick up pace; it’s not unusual for a night at Soul Gourmet to end with a dance.

Inside, the bar staff mix cocktails and pour good wine from behind a long wooden bar. Furniture carved from driftwood, old-fashioned window features, and carefully curated safari-style pieces complete the look, with a few lounge chairs and warm colors giving the interior a kind of European-wine-bar-meets-coffee-lounge look. Perhaps it shouldn’t work, but it does, and is boosted by good service and a long wine list (if you can stomach the prices.)

Soul Gourmet bakes its own bread, which it serves with cheese or charcuterie platters (800 Mets). Ours was good, and came with four kinds of cheese, and four types of Mediterranean cut ham, served with homemade relish and a small bunch of grapes. We followed it with a sushi platter (Friday is sushi night), including a very Mozambican maki de lulas – rolled with Indian Ocean squid. Main dishes include specials like Osso Bucco with tangerine, and Lobster tail stew with brandy. The dessert list has old favorites such as strawberries to dip in chocolate. During the daytime, there are artisanal sandwiches, quiche Lorraine, and goji berry smoothies on offer for an upmarket lunch.

The owners of Soul Gourmet are clearly passionate about this great little bistro, making it one of the hippest, creative, and most inspired places to eat in Maputo. Now if only they would apply that same passion to their prices…