The Wild Fig Restaurant — Restaurant in Observatory

Everything went just as you would hope in a five star rated location from the walk up the path to the drive out. The food specials were seasonal and affordable with sauted Atlantic prawns for one choice and kudu fillet for another. The starters were light for the summer weather (though the charcuterie plate was extremely small compared to the offerings at wine estate restaurants in the Winelands), and the mains were South African "modest" which is a "meal for two" in most other cultures. The kitchen put the food out at the relaxed Saturday afternoon pace for the last holiday weekend. No one felt rushed to eat. The wait staff stayed alert (despite numerous large parties) but did not hover (no attempt to turn the table). The coffees were made artistically and well done though the house beans are too mildly roasted for my tastes when serving them as espresso. The deserts were several to tempt the taste buds and each portion was smaller than the culture usually expects (which might disappoint some diners) but the richness of the chocolate and the cheese cakes delivered a stealthy sugar knock at the tail end of the meal. Another visit will have me relax in the old Cape Dutch bar which was inviting and obviously worth a weekend visit for watching the game and enjoying the hardwood and the old school charm (it was not clear that the full menu is available in the bar but this is South Africa - so I imagine anything is possible). The Protea hotel is near enough to crawl back from the bar - but far enough - that the Wild Fig creates its own ambiance completely separate and apart from the Protea - Marriott traveler program. A diner should get a reservation - as the place packs in during the weekend - and next time I will chose as my own meal something other than the crispy duck because it turned out to be a lot more than "modest" in serving size with the roasted vegetables and the additional parsley mashed potatoes on the side which I found irresistible. The location is close enough to the highway that city traffic isn't a deal breaker for this location. The relatively remote spot makes it a destination rather than a jump off for Observatory. It is too far to walk to the bars and excitement of the Observatory neighborhood, yet too short for an Uber or Lyft ride should you value your "passenger rating" there. A local might consider it as a destination for a "pre-function" when attending one of the Saturday night Observatory programs next door. The short walk down the road to the entrance of the Observatory after the meal should be a...

A "proper" restaurant as compared to fast food places. Lovely setting. Unfortunately when we were there, the wind was howling. As it does in Cape Town, so we sat inside. There is a great outside eating area. If I ever go back, I would definitely prefer to be seated there. The food was good, although I ordered the duck and it was way overcooked. The person at the table next to us also said that his duck wasn't cooked properly. So perhaps avoid ordering the duck. Which is a shame as the orange sauce served with it was great. As were the potatoes roasted in duck fat. Two of us ordered the baked camembert for starters. It was well prepared, however could have been baked for a bit longer as the inside was still hard and not runny as it should be. Another one in our group ordered the marrow bone starter. It was interesting. Not much bone marrow, but it was served with what seemed like steak tartar. He seemed to enjoy it. My dining partners both had dessert, and raved about it. So perhaps this is a good place to just have dessert!!! Nothing wrong with that. The manager needs to improve on his social skills however. The room was rather humid, but he promptly switched off the fan and wasn't too concerned with diners comfort. It did leave a sour taste being treated with disdain. If a person wants to be in the hospitality industry you do need to have some form of concern for...

It was our first time at the Wild Fig restuarant. My hubster had made a reservation for 8pm for a special Women's day supper. On arrival we noticed a few large parties but it was friendly and subdued. We were seated near to the lit fire which was nice and cozy on a cold winter's evening. The waiter was pleasant, engaging and knowledgeable of the various dishes on the menu. I did not see any vegetarian/vegan options though but I'm neither so I may have missed that on the menu. There is linefish of the day, chicken, pork, pasta and red meat options. The starter menu was similar. We had starters...absolutely lovely and the mains just as delicious. I had the cheesecake dessert which was yummy. There was a bit of a crit from me but it was handled professionally and gracefully...kudos to the manager. The restuarant is neat and has bits of memorabilia scattered around. There seems to be a few cozy areas at the bar area...plenty of space for after work drinks or a quiet get together. I'm sure the outside area can be a jostling summer venue. It's spacious and undercover. The toilets are clean and there is ample parking with a friendly car guard. We had a lovely night out at the Wild Fig restuarant and would recommend it...we would definitely go again. Pricing...