Flames is the terrace restaurant at the luxurious Four Seasons Hotel The Westcliff. An urban casual dining destination, the restaurant is one of the most famous sundowner locations in the city.

Perched high upon the Westcliff ridge with a magnificent view over the verdant northern suburbs, you get to watch Hadeda Ibis fly overhead as the sky turns a dozen shades of pink. This is also the best vantage point for admiring Johannesburg's treeline.

While experts still differ over whether Joburg is the world's largest urban forest, everyone agrees that the city has an incredibly large number of trees, which in spring are even more noticeable, as it's the time when the jacarandas planted at the city's founding in the 1880s burst into life, covering the city with a mass of purple blooms. You can't get a more romantic view of Joburg than that. 

Seating is outside mostly under shade of umbrellas, or you can opt for a more sheltered table. But we only advise this if you are on the run from authorities, and trying to stay undetected. The reason to be at Flames is to sit as close to the edge of the terrace as possible and to take in the awe-inspiring views. 

Flames has an all-day dining menu from breakfast and casual bistro lunch to an a la carte dinner. But the standout here is weekend brunch, a popular affair where bookings are essential. On a beautiful sunny day (of which Joburg has many) this is a fantastic place to be. The views are jaw-dropping in every direction and the terraces filled. You'll notice people dress up to show up – casual, but considered. 

The Flames à la carte menu is a tribute to fire, brimming with smoky, flame-kissed flavours. We loved the perfectly charred, baby gem, crayfish Caesar salad with creamy cashew sauce, as well as the peri-peri chicken and coal-roasted kingklip with chimichurri. To finish, the malva pudding, dark chocolate and hazelnut gâteau, or blackcurrant vacherin with white chocolate whip make for indulgent end to a meal.