Movable Feast
ON a cold, wet and windy winter’s night, we drove along=20 a lane next to Cape Town’s Liesbeeck River and ran=20 through the rain into the shelter of the Wild Fig. We=20 closed the door to the elements and found ourselves=20 warmly welcomed (or was it congratulated?) for having=20 braved the night to get to this shelter in the storm.
We were invited to have a drink in the bar, a separate=20 room down a short passage from the restaurant. The=20 rooms are all large, with those thick walls they used=20 to be able to build against the heat of summer and the=20 fury of winter, which is why it feels as if you are=20 stepping into a welcoming cocoon. Over the restaurant=20 area the ceilings have been lowered by bamboo sheets to=20 make the space more intimate, but over the pub the=20 rafters soar up into the thatch. Apparently the pub=20 dates from the 18th century, and the furnishings=20 maintain this antique feeling.
Colourful pictures of funky women and psychedelic dogs=20 led us to a table in the dining area, where a fire=20 merrily danced. This room can only be described as=20 being homely, comfortable and reassuring — which is,=20 in fact, how the whole experience felt.
Served on interesting Balinese plates, the starters=20 range from a winter vegetable or spicy fish soup,=20 through salads and mezze to calamari. Actually, the=20 only unusual dishes were the tom yam (fish soup) and a=20 Chinese sausage salad, but fortunately we both found=20 favourites in the roasted feta and the Mediterranean=20 vegetables. The feta was served on ripe tomato and=20 laced with balsamic vinegar to create a variation on=20 the caprese, while the vegetables were dotted with=20 roasted garlic that married the red and yellow peppers,=20 aubergine, and courgette deliciously. The red peppers=20 were a delight in themselves: sweet with a seductive=20 melting texture.
Our white wine nearly done on the starters, we chose a=20 red from the good wine list and contemplated our next=20 course. Here again there are a number of perennial=20 favourites, as well as some less obvious choices which=20 add that spice of excitement to the menu. Bypassing the=20 pastas (all home-made), the roast duck and the steaks,=20 I settled for the “special fish”. By its vague and=20 meaningless name, you might guess that this is a=20 Chinese-style dish: battered fish served with stir- fried vegetables, and covered in an oyster sauce. All=20 very good, with the sauce strong enough to add another=20 dimension to the taste, while the crowning touch was=20 the fresh coriander.
The stuffed squid Proven=8Dal was on my friend’s plate –=20 filled with spinach and chopped calamari and served=20 with crumbed mussels on the side. Unfortunately, this=20 offering did not rise above the ordinary. Though it was=20 well constructed, the tastes were never exceptional.=20 The main courses are all accompanied by vegetables, so=20 the meals are hearty, but taken at a leasurely pace you=20 won’t feel like a victim in a gut-stretching=20
We tried the souskluitjies as our last course, and=20 these were wonderfully light and covered in cinnamon,=20 with a syrup sauce that never became over-sweet. Other=20 desserts are brandysnap baskets or a chocolate torte=20 that’s described as decadent (a word common with=20 chocolate these days, but never wine — you see how our=20 society changes).
The Wild Fig is a charming space with an interesting=20 mix of dishes on the menu, and I’ll definitely be back.=20 Oh yes — when you go, check out the “his and hers”=20 door signs … there’s a grin in it.
The Wild Fig Restaurant and Bar: Off Liesbeeck Parkway=20 at the Courtyard Hotel.=20
Tel: (021) 448-0507/8