Joburgers can expect to enjoy two new restaurants, Flames and View, at landmark hotel The Westcliff when it reopens as Four Seasons Hotel The Westcliff Johannesburg at the end of 2014.

Dirk Gieselmann, a native of Germany and most recently of the three Michelin-starred restaurant L’Auberge de l’Ill in Illhaeusern, France, will preside as executive chef.

Dirk says that he is stunned with the quality and variety of ingredients and wines available in South Africa. Passionate about seasonality and local produce, he has spent the past few months foraging the farms and markets of the city and surrounding countryside and acquiring the best possible ingredients for the menus of Flames and View.

Flames will be a relaxed restaurant with a large terrace overlooking the city’s treetops. The planned menu will include classic South African dishes as well as international favourites. “This is all about unpretentious food made with the finest ingredients we can find,” says Dirk.

View, which will be Dirk’s signature restaurant, will also enjoy the benefit of the Westcliff’s panoramic Highveld views. The décor will be designed by international design agency Blacksheep and the menu will be French-influenced, featuring delicacies like crayfish and foie gras. “This is an expression of myself, my take on food,” explains Dirk.

In addition to the new Flames and View, the hotel will be offering three more dining options. The Cellar Door will be an intimate dining venue to showcase South African wines and shared plates of local cheeses, grilled meats and seafood; Après-Spa will be a relaxed rooftop bar and lounge where guests can enjoy refreshments before or after spa treatments; and The Westcliff Deli will take the form of a street-side café, offering gourmet sandwiches and salads available to take away.

Watch this space for more details on the restaurants once they’ve opened.