Afternoon tea is one of those rituals that either justifies itself completely or feels like an unnecessarily elaborate way to eat a scone. At Four Seasons Hotel The Westcliff, where the tradition has been a fixture for years, the move to a new setting has brought with it a menu substantial enough to make the case for the former.
The Champagne Afternoon Tea Experience has relocated from Flames Restaurant and Terrace to the hotel’s recently opened Lobby Lounge and Bar, a light-filled space with floor-to-ceiling views across Forest Town, Saxonwold and Rosebank. The space runs an all-day dining menu and a curated beverage programme, with live music on weekends.
At the heart of this transition is executive pastry chef Nathan Jacobs, who has redesigned the afternoon tea menu to strike a balance between classic heritage and contemporary South African flavours.
The ritual begins with warm, freshly baked scones served with butter, cream, cheese, and homemade strawberry jam. The savoury course that follows is generous: finger sandwiches, smoked salmon and dill cream cheese croissants, chicken and leek pie, Moroccan lamb pastilla and mushroom empanadas.
But the real artistry lies in the patisserie. Jacobs has avoided the usual overly sugary clichés of hotel high teas, opting instead for a delicious collection of contrasting textures and bright flavours. There is a chocolate and passion fruit petit gâteau, a rich pecan and vanilla tart, a pistachio and raspberry financier and a caramel and naartjie choux that pays homage to local winter citrus.
To drink, guests are poured custom tea blends created in collaboration with Nigiro, featuring a particularly aromatic marula and strawberry rooibos.
“Afternoon tea is a tradition that many of our guests have come to enjoy over the years,” says chef Jacobs. “In refreshing the experience for its new home in the Lobby Lounge & Bar, we wanted to preserve the elements guests know and appreciate while introducing new flavours and influences that reflect both local ingredients and global culinary inspiration.
“Whether guests are marking a special occasion or simply spending time together, we wanted to create an experience that leaves them feeling welcomed, relaxed, and truly pampered,” he adds.
Best of all, the entire experience comes paired with a complimentary glass of French champagne to kick off the afternoon, priced at R950 per person. If you prefer to keep things local, you can opt for the Westcliff Afternoon Tea for R650, which swaps the French champagne for a glass of local MCC.
The tea is available daily with advance notice, but if you book on a Friday, Saturday, or Sunday, the experience runs across two seatings at 12pm and 3pm, with live music carrying the room into the late afternoon.
For those inclined to extend the afternoon, the hotel’s broader culinary programme offers a series of dinner experiences at Flames. Executive chef Rudi Liebenberg has curated a season of evenings running from July through December, spanning a South African agave spirit dinner on July 31, a Babylonstoren collaboration in August and September, an Effervescence evening with Moët and Chandon in October, a zero-waste menu in November and a summer tomato showcase in December.
Reservations for the Champagne Afternoon Tea Experience and The Westcliff Afternoon Tea can be made via Dineplan, by calling 011-481-6000 or by emailing reservations.johannesburg@fourseasons.com.
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