There is a particular kind of dining event that resists easy categorisation. It is not a wine pairing dinner exactly, nor a farm-to-table showcase in the way that phrase has been stretched almost to meaninglessness.
The Four Seasons Hotel The Westcliff, Johannesburg, and Babylonstoren are launching a year of four seasonal dinners, each shaped entirely by what one of the Cape’s oldest farms has to offer at that precise moment in the calendar.
At first glance, the idea behind this new venture seems more considered than either of the above-mentioned labels suggests.
The first dinner in the series takes place on 22 April, themed “autumn” and more specifically, the olive. This thread will run through every course on the evening’s menu.
A farm with a particular philosophy
Babylonstoren sits at the foot of the Simonsberg in the Franschhoek valley and is one of the oldest Cape Dutch farms in South Africa. What distinguishes it, beyond its age and its scenery, is a guiding principle: the kitchen follows the garden, the garden follows the season and nothing arrives at the table before its time.
It is a philosophy that has made Babylonstoren one of the country’s most respected food and wine destinations, one that translates unusually well to a collaborative dinner format.
For executive chef Rudi Liebenberg of The Westcliff, the partnership is a natural one.
“Babylonstoren has always held a special place for me. There is something about walking slowly through those gardens that brings you back to what cooking is truly about: the season, what is ready, and the honesty of working with what the land gives you at that moment.
“To bring that philosophy to our table at The Westcliff, alongside their wines and produce, is an opportunity I have been looking forward to enormously,” said the chef in a statement.
What the autumn menu looks like
Guests arrive to canapés sourced from the farm’s own harvest, among them an oyster with Babylonstoren’s Coratina extra virgin olive oil, paired with Sprankel, the farm’s celebrated Cap Classique.
The menu then moves through a trout mi cuit, a ricotta agnolotti with Babylonstoren sundried tomato and olive crumb, and a fire-roasted beef rump with a beef cheek and truffle bone marrow pithivier. Each course is paired to wines selected from the cellar.
The wines are chosen by Babylonstoren cellar master Klaas Stoffberg, who works with 14 grape varieties across the farm.
“The wines are a direct expression of our Simonsberg terroir and the season in which they were made. We work with 14 grape varieties across the farm, from Chardonnay and Chenin Blanc to Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon, each shaped by its specific site and conditions.
“For these dinners, the selection is guided by what is showing best in the cellar at that moment, offering guests a true sense of place through wines that remain deeply rooted in their origin,” Stoffberg said.
It is an honour, he adds, to bring those wines to a Johannesburg table and this particular one specifically.
Three more evenings to follow
The autumn dinner is the first of four. Winter, spring and summer editions will follow on 25 June, 23 September and 3 December 2026 respectively, each curated entirely around what Babylonstoren’s garden and cellar have to offer in that season.
Guests who attend all four will, by the end of the year, have experienced the farm across its full cycle in an arc that cannot be manufactured and cannot be repeated.
This is also the second event in The Westcliff’s broader series of intimate producer dinners, following an Atlas Swift winemaker evening held in March.
Practical details
Places are strictly limited. The dinner is priced at R1 750 per person, inclusive of wines and gratuity. Reservations can be made via Dineplan or by emailing the hotel’s reservations inbox.
