A long table dinner at The Naked Fig

Summer is fast approaching, and with the changing of seasons comes beautiful sunsets and vivid colours filling our skies. We're so fortunate in WA to live in such an incredible state, with beaches close by, clear weather most days and opportunities galore. Every time I feel like life is getting too much, or I'm feeling overwhelmed, I just remind myself how lucky I really have it. This is definitely something I was thinking about as I looked out at the setting sun over the water at Swanborne, taking a moment before heading inside to The Naked Fig - our dinner venue for the evening.

A couple of weeks ago I received the cutest invitation to a blogger's dinner from The Naked Fig in the mail - a bottle of housemade vinocotto with invitation printed on the label. Adorable! I happily accepted though I have to admit, it was with a bit of trepidation on my part. I've been to The Wild Fig in Scarborough many times, but sadly the last few times I've visited have been a little on the sour side so I've been a bit scarred from returning. I was hoping that the sister store in Swanborne would bring some good vibes back to the Fig chain in my eyes.

Bringing the boy with me for the fourth night out in a row, we were both already feeling the strain of multiple meals out and about. Having no idea what this night would entail, we walked through the spacious restaurant to a designated long table where most of the other bloggers were already seated. There were some familiar faces such as the lovely Chef's Wife and iMasticate, and we sat opposite Leanne from Cafe Couture which was nice to put a face to the name.

I didn't get to chat to the other bloggers around the table which is always the case with long tables but it was definitely great company and the vibe was relaxed thanks to the hosts for the evening Joel and Aiofe who made sure we were all well fed and well lubricated with free flowing wine. They welcomed us with a cocktail to start the night out which I have no idea what was in it but was sparkly and just sweet enough to drink away happily.

Aiofe tells us that the Head Chef, Chris May, has recently completely overhauled the menu and rewritten what's on offer. It's a nice way to reinvigorate things and also quite fitting as they move into the heavy function time of the year. And that's why we've all been invited - to try some of the food they can offer people if they choose to hold a function at The Naked Fig. We'll be sharing the entrees and mains so we can get more diversity in what we try, and also continue bonding and chatting to our companions for the evening. 

The shared entrees come out soon after and immediately my eyes are drawn to the smoked salmon on top of a buckwheat blini with salmon roe. I love a pretty canapé and this one is bright and vibrant - just the right size to gulp down. Jeremy carefully cuts it in half and we both savour the flavour and the soft texture of the buckwheat base. It's a nice simple and pleasing bite.

Sitting atop of a kasundi relish is a spiced minced beef and cheddar empanada. In theory empanadas can do no wrong - I mean it's fried pastry after all. But I've had my share of disappointing versions so I tend to assume it won't be great so that I can be surprised if it falls on the other side of things. Which this one did! It had a really lovely flavour, with the meat juicy and stuffed full inside the pocket. Very tasty!



The rare beef with wasabi mayonnaise and radish on crostini is tasty and one of my favourites of the entrees. It's well seasoned and tender, the meat melting in my mouth and the crostini offering some much needed counter texture. I love the use of alfalfa sprouts which instantly remind me of my childhood - they were a regular feature in my sandwiches.

I didn't get to try the spiced gazpacho as the boy suspected (after doing a taste test for me) that there was capsicum inside it - and sadly that particular vegetable tends to tie my stomach into knots leaving me up for hours all night, so I try to avoid it whenever possible. He tells me that it has a nice little kick of heat following the sweet flavours as he sips it down.

Moving on the 'lamb lollies' (loitering in the background of the photo above) we're pleased to discover it's flavoured with hoi sin sauce and dotted with sesame seeds. The meat is tender and succulent, the bone well cleaned to present prettily. 

The pea and manchego croquettes look like arancini balls but they're definitely potato filled rather than rice. I just love manchego cheese and it's slightly fruity and tangy flavour. It's well matched with the sweet peas dotted throughout. I'm not sure if this is the size they are at functions but if so they would probably be more suitable a touch smaller so they're bite sized. I really enjoy the nice crunchy outside though - it's just what a croquette always needs to have!

Our final entree for the evening is the grilled scallop perched atop crispy diced pieces of chorizo. I love scallops so much, for me they're definitely one of my favourite proteins and this one is cooked really well - seared on the outside and slightly translucent in the centre. While chorizo and seafood can be perfect pairings, I found the chorizo a little overpowering in this instance just because scallops are so delicate in flavour. Not an unpleasant dish by any means but when I tried the scallop without the chorizo I enjoyed it much more. 

There's a nice break between entrees and mains so we all relax even more, sipping topped up glasses of wine before big plates of food are spread down the centre of the table. Just due to where I was sitting I didn't get to try them all though I did snap photos of them. Pictured above are the baked leek nicoise with black olives, rosemary, poached egg and confit tomatoes, and the roast salmon with potato gratin and soy gem hearts.

The dish of the night for my boy and the others around me is the half of a spatchcock on top of a zucchini, roast tomato and capsicum couscous. I avoided the couscous (but still snuck a tiny bite which was tasty and fluffy) but went for the poultry which was soft and moorish, with a nice flavour profile. Naturally I chose some leg meat because that's where all the taste is for me.

The lamb cutlets on top of cumin spiced pumpkin and topped with roasted chickpeas is a great dish. While the fat on the lamb looks as though it's uncooked, it's actually quite soft and melts in your mouth - as does the meat itself. While everyone else is all about silky smooth purees these days, it's almost refreshing to see a homestyle pumpkin mash sitting underneath.

The dish described as an Asian laksa with barramundi, bean sprouts, noodles and coriander sits right in front of me. Being half Asian I've grown up with my house reeking of laksa in the making - of dried shrimp and coconut milk and all other ingredients. This version was more like your asam laksa which is a sour fish soup.

While I enjoyed the flavours of this dish, it didn't scream laksa to me. There's definitely an Asian-ish undertone to the broth but it doesn't have that clarity of direction where I can tell immediately what dish it is. But while that might sound like a negative, I wouldn't take it that way as it's the taste that counts and this dish went down a treat. I particularly liked how well the barramundi was cooked, with the flesh gently flaking apart with the slightest nudge of my fork.

The final main dish that I try is easily my favourite for the night. Potato gnocchi with roast beets, swiss chard and candied walnuts. If you've read my blog before you might have picked up on the fact that I am a gnocchi whore - there's just no nice way to say it. And this one was all kinds of good. Those slightly smokey beets, the sweet crunchy walnuts and the delicate swiss chard leaves. The gnocchi itself has been pan-fried so it's crisp on the outside and soft inside. It's a really great dish.

While the mains are being devoured we all take a minute to appreciate the live music front and centre with the long term jazz group playing some well known tunes for us.

Dessert is served to us all individually, with three different tastes to each enjoy. I immediately dive into the little jar on the left which I'm told is a white chocolate brûlée. I love the cute little canapé style presentation!

The creme brûlée is smooth and sweet, full of white chocolate flavour. I can imagine this dessert would go down really well at functions! My only small bit of feedback would be for the creme brûlée to have had a toffee top as that's a big part of the fun of this dessert - cracking through that hard caramel to be rewarded with the custardy goodness underneath.

The coconut pannacotta sits wobbling happily in the centre of our dessert plate. Pannacotta is a dessert the boy and I make quite often at home, trialling different recipes and pushing the envelope with the amount of gelatine used so we can kept optimal wobbliness. The Naked Fig's version definitely has the right movement and texture, though the flavour is quite mild. I think instead of cream perhaps they've used coconut milk, which takes away the velvety quality but makes it very silky.

While I like the angle they've taken with this dessert, I think I personally prefer the likes of your traditional vanilla bean pannacotta. That said, I thought it was a clever way to try something different and suits this time of year as we move into our tropical summer.

The best dessert is definitely the cherry and nut brownie. One bite in and I can see why one of the other diners called it 'deceptive'. It's molten inside, liquidy and soft. That fudgy centre is encased in a slightly crisp outer with sweet maraschino cherries to cut through the richness of the dark chocolate. I love glace cherries and my boy adores cherry ripe bars so this is definitely a dessert we both enjoy greatly.

We wash down our desserts with a Riesling dessert wine which is sweet and sticky - just what you want in a nightcap. It gives me a final sugar rush before I move on to a hot peppermint tea. Tea is exactly what I love to drink whenever I'm feeling too full, it soothes my tummy for sure! I just love the gorgeous heavy teapot the loose leaf tea is served in! I'm pretty sure I've seen that teapot or one similar at T2 where I spend WAY too much money indulging my tea obsession.

At that point I'd thought the night was over but Aiofe and Joel were definitely being overly generous to us as out came the 'guilt free' chocolate range they sell for us to try. Made out of cacao, these chocolate bark slices were dairy free and sugar free - and look as pretty as a picture! They're really rich and quite dark so they're right up the boy's alley. There's information on this chocolate range on The Naked Fig's website if you'd like to find out more.

And then the food kept coming! Not that I'll ever say no to cheese - especially a board that pretty! With a soft triple cream brie, manchego and a blue cheese with a sweet relish on the side, there was something to suit all tastes. I'm still a bit of a novice when it comes to blue cheese, usually only eating it in dishes rather than on it's own so I stick to the brie and manchego. I was not disappointed!  Beautifully creamy and decadent, the brie pairs well with the juicy, plump strawberries scattered on the plate. Manchego is starting to become more commonplace these days which I'm really happy to see. I know it's a cheese I love to indulge in purchasing whenever I'm lured in to the cold room at Simon Johnson.

After the cheese is cleared from our table I'm feeling pretty damn full and very sleepy! I think the others are all feeling the same so it's a lovely last touch that we're all given an espresso cup of "butter coffee" to finish our night on.

Now if you've read my blog before you may know that I'm not a coffee drinker. But you may also know that I am a butter fiend! So I considered myself on neutral territory for this little espresso shot of coffee that's been topped up with melted butter. It might sound gross or weird but the result is strangely tasty - though I did feel an immense wave of guilt that I was literally drinking butter. I only managed a couple tiny sips before waving my white flag. The boy was all too happy to down my leftovers though - I'm surprised he wasn't up all night as a result!

That brought the official end to the night though I'm sure we all could have sat around talking for hours more. It was definitely a fun evening with plenty of food and wine supplied by our generous hosts. A big thank you to the team at The Naked Fig for putting on such a spread for us all free of charge, and for allowing us to try their function menu. I was definitely ready to roll home at that point!