Nestled at the foot of the Silvermine mountain reserve in Cape Town, Steenberg Vineyard Estate offers a way to escape the rigours of everyday life with its newest addition, Bistro Sixteen82. I dropped in to take a look and found that the estate has taken a classy step up.

Walking through the sleek, automated sliding doors into what was once the tasting room and adjoining bottling plant, I immediately felt at ease and welcome, regardless of the towering warehouse structure above me.

Offering sleek, modern lines, the space is what I initially considered 'typically modern' ? only because its use of wood, metals and glass is something we've all seen before. On closer inspection, it becomes clear that there's nothing typical about the space.

Retaining the tasting room and offering something different with the newly-added bistro, the space now offers unpretentious sophistication. As one diner remarked, you can witness your meal being created, as well as the estate's wines being processed through the great glass panes behind the seating area.

Architects Richard Perfect and Jan Desseyn have artfully brought the decor and architecture together in a way that makes them flow elegantly into one another. I loved how the steel, wood and glass interior blend so well into the stone and wood exterior; and then into the gorgeous water feature and finally, to the lush rolling lawn and garden that rises above the venue.

Impressive setting indeed. Particularly when the warehouse doors are opened to reveal the clean structural lines against the dramatic views of reserve vineyards and rugged mountainside.

The bistro certainly has outstanding ambience, of that I was sure. And on that gorgeous blue-skied morning, the mood was perfect. With the huge barn-like doors open to let the summery air flow, I was looking forward to a spectacular afternoon. To begin, I enjoyed a glass (or two) of Steenberg's Chardonnay Methode Cap Classique 2008 ? fitting, I thought, to mark the opening of the bistro.

Or was it?

I've always known bistro food to be simple, wholesome meals that make you glow from the inside, rather than the complicated and delicate dishes that were set before me. While the food was undoubtedly of top quality, I thought that perhaps Chef Brad Ball and his team got a little carried away with sophistication.

I ordered a green and white asparagus with parmigiano topping for starters which, after a lengthy wait, was remarkable in that it was covered in what seemed to be a hollandaise sauce with a pinch melted parmesan in there somewhere. Hmmm. Accompanying this, I sipped at a gorgeous flute of the estate Pinot Noir MCC 2006 ? a lovely wine with a fine, smooth mousse and a fruity bouquet of strawberries. Certainly a wine worth getting hold of. Kudos to winemaker John Loubser for this truly heavenly wine.

Moving slowly on to the main course, I received my Charcuterie platter of cured meats. The bistro gets its meats from Neil Jewel of Bread and Wine. The platter was tasty, if a little salty for my palate. I would have preferred more variety in taste and texture, ? perhaps some fresh and sweet tomato to cut through the salty richness of the cured meats. However, it is a platter of good quality cured meats that on the day, included well-smoked and beautifully delicate Parma ham, Portuguese spiced sausage, black forest ham and Spanish chorizo.

As someone who enjoys a good, sweet end to a meal, I must pay homage to the dessert that was set before me. For a finale to a lengthy meal, it was well worth the wait. Inspired by the classic French cake, Marjolaine, so I am told, it sports layers of dark chocolate fondant followed by butter cream, hazelnut praline powder and chocolate ganache. In the words of pastry chef, Monique Meyer, these are 'layers of awesomeness'. Right she is!

To describe this as an interesting first meal is not to say it will be my last. Though I am not sure I'd call it a bistro, I look forward to seeing the menu develop. Gladly, the prices are not unexpected, ranging around R 50 to R 90. And according to my host, John, you can expect to pay the same prices for the wines at the bistro and tasting room, as you would at any retail outlet. So all and all, not a bad deal cost-wise.

For the ambience that has been created, and the overall experience, Bistro Sixteen82 is worth a visit. Make sure you kick back and enjoy the view whilst quaffing a glass of bubbly. In that moment, I can almost guarantee that you will feel that all is well with the world.