the wild fig

dark drizzly sunday night. bit of a wild goose chase to find the place. google maps sent us to valkenberg psychiatric hospital.
back on track, restaurant is pretty empty but there's a fire and pretty fairy lights strung across the ceiling. we've ordered sparkling water. takes long to get to the table. the waiter, who's very gorgeous, explains he's pressurized by a party in the bar. the manager takes over.
the menu is... er... really retro. feels like i'm back in the 90's. there's a chateau libertas 1988 on the wine list to match the food. choose radford dale frankenstein 2015 instead. takes long to get to the table.
springbok hot pot - bit dry; bit salty.
salmon fish cakes - very nice. maybe need something crispy on the plate.
my greek salad's fresh; very nice feta; and starter sardines are okay - i find them oily but that's the nature of deep fried.
the desserts are retro-priced at between r43 & r48. we share the peppermint crisp terrarium. it comes in a glass terrarium! it's nice enough.
all in all, a pleasant evening. probably nicer to come during the day and sit outside.

i loved the atmosphere and the fireplace is perfect for the cold nights. it feels like you are somewhere in the winelands minus the long drive.

had a risotto and it was delicious and didn’t miss the meat at all. service was great and our waiter knew the menu well. the pies are also made to order and you can be guaranteed freshness.

the only odd thing was that we were asked if we wanted bread. can’t wait to get back for live music.

the restaurant was mostly empty, but it took around 3 minutes before we were acknowledged when we arrived. the service for the remainder of the evening was friendly, but terribly slow and not welcoming. by that, i mean the staff seemed nice, but they seemed to be going through the motions. i asked to taste a specific wine, but the taster took 10 minutes to arrive. it took 50 minutes for our mains of lamb shank and pork belly to be served. whether this is the normal time or not, our waiter never approached us to reassure us that our food was on the way, or was taking longer than usual etc. the meals were both delicious and well prepared, but the complimentary vegetables were mostly undercooked, which was very disappointing, especially since they could have been very carefully prepared in the 50 minutes it took to receive our meals.
for the high rating and reviews i've read, i was much expecting a lot more. based on this experience, i wouldn't recommend the restaurant to friends who would be paying high prices for a mediocre experience.

i stayed at the hotel nearby and decided on the wild fig because it seemed to be busy all the time.

the staff were polite but not very warm or welcoming. they showed us the menu and it took ages for them to take our order and to bring the bill in the end. we actually had to walk to the card machine and stand around to get someone's attention.

we ordered lots of vegetarian things off the menu which wasn't anything fabulous. i always feel like vegetarian options are put on as a consolation for those who don't eat protein.

i don't think i'll be heading back unfortunately.

my wife and i had a lovely date night at this establishment. the staff were friendly, but not overly so. we decided to skip starters as we were both keen to have pudding for a change. my wife ordered the crispy duck with a van derhaum sauce & i had the lamb shank with a red wine jus and mashed potato. both dishes were served with a side of root vegetables (the crispiest roast potatoes, parsnips, sweet potato & carrots). the duck was devine and the skin was almost like crackling it was that crispy. my lamb shank was heaven on a plate. every bite melted in my mouth and was fall off the bone. the jus was delicious and full of flavour. for pudding my wife had the peppermint crisp which was a small portion but really flavoursome, i had the white chocolate cheese cake which was okay, but not something i will order again. i am glad i have ticked this one off my list & will certainly be back again.

we had booked for lunch on saturday after hearing good things about the wild fig. the restaurant was fairly quiet. we sat inside which was lovely decorated and was great that they had a fireplace with fire going on a cold day. so overall impressions as we walked in looked promising. my mother and me ordered the duck, which we were told was their specialty, unfortunately we were  let down. the duck was extremely dry and unappetizing. my step father ordered the lamb, which was extremely tough. my husband had the chirzo and chicken pasta which he said was ok, but nothing to right home about. the only things that we enjoyed were our dessert in which we had the chocolate fondant and creme brulee.  i certainly would not rush back there again.

i went to the wild fig for a nice sunday lunch with a good friend. we were happy to find a beautiful setting. we sat in the garden courtyard which was beautiful in the mild winter sunshine. the menu was exciting but unfortunately when the food came through we were highly disappointed. the menu talks a big talk with high prices but the food does not deliver. we hardly touched our main courses. all in all not a successful visit.

the wild fig has been around for as long as i can remember, but i have not been in over 10 years, until yesterday. thoroughly enjoyed it. the ambiance lends itself to winter days, with the fire place and pub feel. service was good. the menu is pretty basic, with classic dishes, but they do have daily specials as well. i had the steak dish for mains and it was absolutely fantastic! my starter was a daily salmon special served with a seasonal salad and it was also delicious. the food was all in all absolutely divine. the only reason i cannot give more than 4 stars is because the menu does feel a bit archaic, and needs an upgrade. but then again, why change a good thing?

delicious food, friendly staff, great ambience! cosy atmosphere with beautiful fireplaces make it perfect for those rainy cape town winters. try the wild mushroom risotto!

we spend our anniversary date here a week ago. it was not my first time visiting, but the greek lamb in phyllo pastry made a huge impression on me, i had to have it again.
my biggest issue was the fact that when we arrived, even though i had booked, we did not have a table prepared for us and when we were eventually seated, we were given a table with a very dirty table cloth, and no table setting laid. this was not very welcoming or inviting.

that being said, we had a lovely waiter who engaged us at all points during the evening, and food was really good, as expected.

sunday lunch at the wild fig was such a lovely and heart-warming event! we will certainly be back, and probably sunday after sunday to come. 

the springbok pot (slow-cooked springbok stew served with creamy polenta) proved to be comfort food at its best - exactly what we were looking for! the wine list more-than-covers the local range and the pricing falls well within a realistic bracket. service was quick, informative and friendly - nowadays more than you get from top spots in the city!

it might not be the 5* fine dining venue it was in the early 90's , but i comfortably rate the wild fig  4.5 on my scale of fabulosity.

and....i'll be back.

went here last night for a birthday dinner for 8. setting is lovely, everyone enjoyed what they ordered. waiter seemed very friendly and efficient until the bill came. we said we had the entertainer app but he claims that we had to tell him before we sat down and ordered? so refused at first to do the discount. i've bought the app and had it for 3 consecutive years, never had that been on the terms and conditions. he just wanted a hiftier tip and did not not think we'd tip him according to original bill. so basically tried his luck. it was a celebration of someone's birthday so the dispute made the entire experience unpleasant. i won't be back there but if you not using the entertainer. it's worth a visit.

another disappointing visit. food was good (not exciting and the plating is unimaginative ad ever, also no green veg in sight) and ambiance was good only because of the heritage room and fireplace, except when the waiter serving outside (10c and cold wind) left the door open constantly to serve a table making sure the temperature inside nosedived. brrrr! the room was cold when we entered despite a small fire in the fireplace - too small for such a big room. my measure of a restaurant in winter besides the usual stuff is: if you have to keep your uncomfortable jacket on, it’s not worth the visit, go elsewhere. i’m not going to bore you with the details but i am uninspired by the service. several times i have been in winter and sat at a table almost on top of the fireplace but have had to get up to stoke the fire or place more logs on it, with the wait staff standing by watching; tonight another woman from another table was doing this as well. there have been amazing staff in the past which have kept us returning and tipping generously but the ( all-male) staff tonight exuded an arrogance that was palpable and unfriendly. there’s a dynamic that’s developed and i won’t be going back until it changes. sad really because i used to love this place and have had many small and large occasions there. not what it used to be but it could be!

this place is such a hidden gem! delicious food, cozy, warm, romantic atmosphere, with a fireplace - lovely for a chilly evening! the service was excellent. waiter was efficient, friendly, and made great suggestions. had a lovely evening here. really liked the warm atmosphere and good food, will be back to try more from the menu :) the pork belly is a must, the cheesecake was also delicious.

i loved the atmosphere and the food was great. our waiter checked in on us and we weren't forgotten about even though it was quite busy. overall good service and really great food.