Whoever said Jo’burg lacks a good view has obviously never eaten at the Westcliff where chef Nicky Gibbs is redefining the term ‘conscious cuisine’.

Having wound your way through a village of candy-pink suites, you’ll arrive at the Polo Bar or La Belle Terasse restaurant, where the spectacular panorama over an Eden of trees is matched only by the sight  of your dinner.

Chef Nicky Gibbs recently joined the Hotel, breathing  new life into the menu with her philosophy of “conscious cuisine”.

Conscious of buying local, she sources specialised products from boutique farmers; conscious of cooking seasonally, she uses produce grown at the right time of year, in the right hemisphere (with many micro-herbs from The Westcliff’s own soil); and conscious of eating naturally, she insists on free-range, naturally reared meat and chicken.

With Scottish salmon her only indulgent exception (home-smoked if not entirely home-grown), Nicky also favours local, sustainable fish species. Conscious indeed, but, thankfully, also utterly delicious.

Click for Nicky's utterly delicious Oak-smoked salmon with Madagascan pepper gnocchi and a sage and lemon butter sauce
 

The Westcliff, 67 Jan Smuts Avenue, Westcliff, Johannesburg; tel (011) 481-6000. Or visit www.westcliff.co.za