There is nothing skimpy about The Naked Fig

From the moment we stepped inside The Naked Fig Swanbourne’s warm embrace and nestled ourselves beside the fire with a glass of Marlborough Squealing Pig sauvignon blanc, my partner and I immediately began to unwind.

Overlooking the beach, the restaurant is uniquely decorated with chaise lounges, high-backed armchairs and a quirky chandelier made from sand buckets.

The arrival of entree diverted our attention ” rolled pork and sage terrine wrapped in prosciutto and chunky pear, apple and saffron chutney served with toasted sourdough was a sweet and savoury delight to the tastebuds.

A self-confessed risotto critic, I ordered the honey glazed pumpkin risotto with parmesan cheese from the specials menu, which was nothing less than perfection ” the flavour combination was subtle and the rice was creamy, without being gluggy.

My partner’s meal, the twice-cooked chicken ballotine with fragrant wild rice and prawn sauce vierge, reflected the restaurant’s demeanour, stylish and luxurious but also down-to-earth and relaxed.

Content to prolong the night we could not resist the chocolate on chocolate dessert ” dezaan Belgium chocolate fondant and white and milk chocolate panatela served with ice cream on chocolate ‘dirt’ ” and the sticky fig pudding.

Thoroughly enjoying every bite from start to finish, we agreed we would definitely be returning to The Naked Fig Swanbourne.