Indulge in Afternoon Tea with pastry chef Nathan Jacobs

Spring is best savoured slowly and at the Four Seasons Hotel The Westcliff Johannesburg. The newly reimagined Champagne Afternoon Tea invites guests to settle in and take a moment to enjoy the sweeter things in life.

Curated by the hotel’s 42-year-old executive pastry chef, Nathan Jacobs, each bite has been thoughtfully crafted to deliver a sense of indulgence, nostalgia and pure delight.

Set in the newly renovated Lobby Lounge and Bar, with scenic views across Johannesburg North, the experience feels both luxurious and distinctly local.

“This time we’ve added a multi-course offering of delicate food including a pre-dessert course before your actual sweet treats and a little take-home gift for the champagne afternoon tea experience,” he says. “We would like our guests to feel relaxed, pampered and unrushed while enjoying the slow pace and connecting with friends and family.”

The reimagined Afternoon Tea takes the hotel’s iconic tradition to new heights, amping up the artistry and flavour of its offerings while creating an unrivalled experience that will have guests swooning.

Serenaded by lively jams and fuelled by a satisfying sugar rush, the new location of the hotel’s iconic traditional Afternoon Tea is awe-inspiring.

Situated on the hotel’s western wing, the impressive space sets the scene for Four Seasons Hotel The Westcliff Johannesburg’s reimagined Afternoon Tea experience, where grand interiors, polished design and luxe finishes create an atmosphere made for lingering, indulging and soaking up the occasion.

“The inspiration with the new setting automatically requires a refreshed menu that speaks to the palate and that screams luxury,” says Jacobs

“The food needs to have that visual effect as we eat with our eyes but not second to flavour. We focused on tasty food that’s not overcomplicated but still keeping that Afternoon Tea elegance it requires for this sort of offering.”

Hailing from the Mother City, Nathan Jacobs counts culinary greats such as Gary Rhodes and Antonio Bachour among his early inspirations.

But it is a sweet memory much closer to home that truly set the Capetonian pastry chef on the path to the kitchen and cemented his culinary journey forever.

“Growing up, we never had many sweet treats and luxuries, but there was this one dessert that my dad would make for us. In some sense it was a banana split; I never knew that at the time, and it was named after a famous cricket player, Waqar Younis,” he says.

“And that’s what we know it as to this day: a warm banana with flake chocolate sprinkled over and a touch of whipped cream is a Waqar Younis.

“Another defining moment was when I would assist my dad in potjie kos competitions in the navy, especially when we had to make a pudding over the coals. Not something you would normally associate with food cooked over coals, but this was an awe-inspiring moment for me, and I could not wait to see what other innovative creations could be executed in the pastry world.”