Vilakazi Street in Soweto enjoys its glut of Kwaito-thumping, tourist-trap taverns. So how nice to discover a sleek, minimalistic, vuvuzela-free bistro on this famous street, the only one in the world to have housed two Nobel Prize winners.

I grazed on the Thrive Beef Burger, which has just the right silky-soft blue cheese-sauce-to-meat ratio so that it doesn’t dribble out of the bun like a regurgitating baby. It shimmied down my throat. The Juicy Lemon-Butter Fillet Cubes, reminiscent of Bellini’s Fillet Suzette, arrives in a sapid broth perfumed with pan-crisped rosemary and is utterly delicious. I cleaned the bowl down to the last smear. Chef Paddy Khuele not only cooks like the dickens, he also struts amiably through the dining room checking up on his patrons. An extra splash of lemon juice? A spritz of cracked black pepper? A pesky draft agitating you? No problem is too menial for Paddy and his accomplished team.

Thrive Cafe’s food is rich and luscious, and designed to be looked at, much like the restaurant’s architectural aesthetic. Cement screed interiors, stylish lighting and plate glass windows that open Soweto like a book, with its famous cooling towers in the distance, combine to make the excursion to Soweto, a very worthwhile one and will make you want to linger over coffee. In fact, java junkies will appreciate the beans, a special blend conjured uniquely for Thrive by the barista from the quality-strict Culinary Equipment Company which make the brews – very, very gluggable indeed.