The Fig — Restaurant in Rother

The Fig, Rye

Food - 4.2/5 Atmosphere - 3.2/5 Service - 3.2/5 Price - 3.5/5

A tapas / small plate style restaurant offering unique and vibrant dishes , great tasting food but subpar atmosphere.

A item to note is that the restaurant does not have an extractor fan above their cooking area, making the whole restaurant steam up / smell of the food being cooked, our clothes were fumigated by the smell. Would have been nice to have more ventilation. The restaurant is also rather cramped with tight spaces for tables, rather close proximity to other diners.

With a 12.5% service charge and especially being in Rye, be best to see more of a service as it was subpar. Would be nice to have water poured in our glasses, frequent check backs, and more attentive service, which I noticed other customers grouching at. Our service was okay.

Overall the food aspect was great, really enjoyed the dishes, something different, execution of the dishes were right, robust, flavourful and unique. It was more so the service and atmosphere of the dining aspect which makes it whole for a dinner service, it is a cramped venue, would say cosy for a day time meal which I would like to try next. For a new restaurant to try, it was sceptical to book with a £30 prepaid deposit , for non-high-end restaurant.

Tuna Ceviche - Light on the Tuna , for a seafood dish I would expect to have more seafood rather than salad.

Ox Cheek Barbacoa - flavourful, robust, and delicate , not over done but can taste richness.

Goats Cheese and Figs - simple and elegant, not much to say for a straight forward dish. Was nice to see good quality figs.

Artichokes - Delicate, light on flavour

Roasted potato’s - loving the Aioli style sauce / base , worked well with the kale.

Banana Cake - packed with flavour but shame it was microwaved, pipping...

I’m very sorry that I am writing this review as I have always enjoyed visiting The Fig cafe and have been a loyal customer , always recommending the cafe for its food , service and ambience ,but on this occasion I have been disappointed and upset by the way both my husband and I were treated . We sat ourselves down at a vacant table which happened to be a table for 4 persons.We were approached by a staff member and TOLD to sit towards the back of the cafe in case a group of 4 or more arrived ! The table that we were shown was very small and cramped to accommodate our small dog as well , so we told the staff that we would prefer to sit at the available original table .We were informed ,in a curt manner, that we would have to move if they needed the table ,On reflection we should have left at this time but we had been looking forward to our lunch there and we had already ordered from the menu .We were quite relieved to be able to enjoy our lunch without being moved whilst eating as the table wasn’t after all needed.Upon payment ,my husband was asked if everything had been ok , giving him the opportunity to give his feedback about the service on this occasion ,when the eldest member of staff ( possibly the owner) became extremely defensive and argumentative with raised voice and I had to remind her that she was causing a scene !! We left promptly as I was feeling rather embarrassed at the way we were being spoken to, and then to witness the staff laughing at us,as we left ....This is truly unacceptable behaviour towards customers . Such a shame for a once perfect place to meet and eat...

We were really looking forward to our stay. It was a rare night away and I had carefully chosen which hotel to stay in. The room was really nicely decorated and clean. There were also thoughtful touches like chocolates next to the coffee machine and a glass bottle of water on each night stand. Lovely soap, shampoo and conditioner in a very nice shower. My only gripe, but it’s an important one, is when we went down to dinner, they wouldn’t serve us. The reason: they only have a license until 10pm. It was only 8:36! I decided to insist, partly because I was so surprised they would turn us away nearly an hour and a half(!!) before closing time, and partly because they had some nice options on the menu for my partner who eats a plant based diet. Also, having worked in the restaurant business for a good portion of my adult life, I remember what it was like when people came in just before closing. It was painful. But it was not just before closing. I even asked-what if we order straight away, and are sure to be long gone by 10? And they still said no. So we ended up eating a few doors down. When we came back from dinner just before 10, the entire place was already empty, dark and locked up. The worst part was that breakfast the next morning was fantastic. So I was doubly disappointed we hadn’t had the opportunity to have dinner there. Would I go again? I’m not sure. Probably I would for the breakfast alone. But being turned down for dinner an hour and a half before closing time, while being guests in the hotel, left me disappointed with the experience...