Obsessed with: Figs, the delicious swan song of summer

This article is part of the FT Globetrotter feature. London Guide

The blackberries are ripe and the damsons have begun to fall from the trees. Summer is drawing to a close, but with its swansong comes a final bundle of sun-drenched produce. Chief among these treasures are figs, ancient fruits said to have been a favourite of Cleopatra and Ulysses. With their thick skin and jammy red flesh, they are delicious whether enjoyed plain, savoury or sweet. Still, I can’t help but feel sad when I see them in the greengrocer’s – their season ends in October, taking the warm weather with it.

Fig trees are native to the Mediterranean region but are widely cultivated around the world. The first tree to be grown in England is thought to have been at Lambeth Palace in 1556 – you can still visit it at the gardens’ open days between May and September. But a better way to enjoy figs, especially in the capital, is to eat them. Across London, restaurants are celebrating this late-summer fruit, showing off its brightness and texture or offering balance to stronger flavours.

“Fig season is a special time of year for me,” says Patrick Williams, co-founder of Kudu Collectivea group of South African-style restaurants in south-east London. “They give us a sense of when the seasons change.”

Daniel Lazar, head chef of Lily flowera Mediterranean restaurant near Old Street, admires figs for their “perfect balance of sweetness.” “I use them as both protagonists and supporting characters,” he says.

The fruit’s presence throughout the Mediterranean region and Asia means you’ll find it in cuisines around the world – French-Palestinian chef Fadi Kattan once served roasted figs with beef shanks at his Notting Hill restaurant. Acub; Kanishka by Atul Kochhar offers a paneer tikka stuffed with figs.

And then there are fig leaves: dark green foliage with a herbaceous, coconut-like flavor. The pig’s earwhich opened in May, is serving fig leaf ice cream this summer, while Bingham River House In Richmond the leaves are made into a tasty oil.

The dishes presented here (some sweet, some savoury) take the fig and transform it into something new, but all stay true to the fruit’s delicious jam. You can find them on menus at least until mid-September, a fair compensation for the end of the nice weather.

Kudu (Peckham)

119 Queen’s Road, London SE15 2EZ

Kudu is something of a Trojan horse. With its exposed brick walls and sunny garden, it looks like a neighbourhood restaurant, but the food has gastronomic appeal. Its signature dishes include homemade ravioli and onglets cooked in the barbecue (South African BBQ) If you come early on a weekend, you’ll find eggs, sourdough waffles and buns filled with boerewors (a South African-style hot dog). The homemade biltong is a must-try.

Chef Patrick Williams’ take on figs leans toward the refined side of things: a pavlova filled with the fruit that’s been cooked in spiced wine, along with blackberry sorbet, sago and rooibos jelly – “as South African as you can get,” he says. It’s unlike any pavlova I’ve ever had, and all the better for it. “I love the sweetness of it.” [of figs]“They’re so sweet inside. You know when you eat a really ripe plum and it’s so juicy it runs down the side of your face? There’s something really nice about that.” Website; Instructions

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Mount St Restaurant (Mayfair)

First Floor, 41-43 Mount Street, London W1K 2RX

What sets Mount St restaurant apart from most of its Mayfair neighbours is that it has the feel of a fine dining room, but is also quite pleasant. This is helped by its impressive paintings (the restaurant is owned by Iwan and Manuela Wirth) and some salt and pepper mills by Paul McCarthy.

This season, executive chef Jamie Shears is updating a beloved caramelized onion tart by adding figs and Driftwood goat cheese. “You have the sweetness of the caramel, the figs and the shallot; the cheese makes it a more savory dish,” he says, placing the tart beneath a Suzanne Valadon nude. As promised, it’s as savory as it is sweet, and much of the flavor is down to Shears’ selection of black figs from Provence—“the best in the world.”

Shears also pays homage to figs in dessert form, making ice cream from the leaves for a cloud-shaped kirsch cake. “The season is so short, you have to enjoy them when they’re good,” she says. In other words, it’s best to be quick. Website; Instructions

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The Goring (Belgravia)

15 Beeston Place, London SW1W 0JW

Beneath The Goring hotel, a 20th-century mansion in Belgravia, lies a secret. Since the Michelin-starred restaurant revamped its kitchen earlier this year, a handful of diners can now enjoy part of their meal in the centre of the action. It is here that executive chef Graham Squire introduces me to his new fig dish: spiced duck liver served with four types of fig (fresh, pickled, stewed and gelled) and a pistachio brioche topped with meadowsweet.

Squire creates his fig tower with tongs, adding yogurt and pistachios to balance the strong flavors. “We use as much of an ingredient as possible, so we take the leaves and make vinegar,” he says. It’s almost too beautiful to eat (though I happily do). The finishing touch is a delicate tile of honey. “Fig, pistachio, honey,” Squire says as he holds up his creation. “It’s a lovely thing.” Website; Instructions

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Firebird (Soho)

29 Poland Street, London W1F 8QR

You might think that at 6 p.m. on one of the hottest Fridays of the summer, Firebird, a narrow restaurant with a fireplace and few windows, would be empty. Think again: Most nights it’s packed.

One reason might be the signature dish, halloumi and truffle, which the restaurant changes seasonally. “It’s been on the menu since we opened,” says co-founder Madina Kazhimova. “A few weeks ago we were serving it with apricot; before that, with grapes.” It lives up to expectations: salty melted cheese, a creamy truffle and honey sauce and, for the moment, figs, which add a “fresh flavour,” says Kazhimova.

With its menu of fire-cooked cutlets, scallops and duck breast, fig and halloumi are not initially the standout dish on the menu, but Firebird quickly defies expectations. For dessert, fresh fruit and leaves become a fig tiramisu – again, not the obvious choice in a heatwave. But after one of sommelier Anna Dolgushina’s smoky vetiver margaritas in Firebird’s shady dining room, one could easily forget about the scorching heat outside. Website; Instructions

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Lilienblum (Old Street)

80 City Road, London EC1Y 2BJ

I first heard about Lilienblum on social media, when a well-known London chef called it “the best restaurant in London.” Still, I had my doubts. The area it’s located in is hectic and touristy. Surely any restaurant nearby would be too. These doubts were quickly dispelled, especially by the quiet terrace hidden behind the restaurant.

Lilienblum’s sharing menu means you can just as easily pop in for drinks and nibbles as you can pop in for a rib-eye steak for four. Chef Daniel Lazar keeps his cooking on the right side of homey: mussel bruschetta comes with so much seafood it’s impossible to count, while fig carpaccio – one of Lazar’s signature late-summer “vegetable creatures” – is dotted with flakes of salt and a sliver of Parmigiano Reggiano shavings.

“A lot of chefs want to get too creative and overcomplicate things,” Lazar says of his seasonal approach. “What grows together goes together, as long as you’re looking for the best quality available.” Lazar’s carpaccio is simply a celebration of perfectly ripe figs. There’s nothing complicated about it: just chopped fruit, good olive oil and a generous handful of cheese. Website; Instructions

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Coal Office (King’s Cross)

2 Bagley Walk, London N1C 4PQ

At the other end of the spectrum, some dishes are so complex that one wonders how they came about. Such is the case at Coal Office, where chef Dan Pelles has honoured fig season by stuffing the fruit into sea bass tartare and serving it in a puddle of fig leaves. white garlic (Spanish cold almond soup). “We cure the fish with salt, sugar, Aleppo pepper, za’atar spice mix, fennel seeds and fig leaves,” says Pelles. Somehow, it all fits together.

Coal Office draws inspiration from Europe and the Middle East, and it manifests itself in a lively menu that includes Yemeni brioche, fresh pasta and grilled prawns with harissa. The food is the kind that sticks in your teeth: eggplant tartare with parsley, pacifier; and a version of the “Gilda” pintxo with crushed green peppers and olives. “You have to eat it with your hands,” says Pelles about his buttery Moroccan pintxo. Brake (flatbread), which can be ordered with different sauces (labneh with tomato and silan, a honey and date syrup, among them). Finger-licking and plate-licking are also encouraged. If you had been daring enough, the latter would have been useful for finishing off the dish sprinkled with Pelles figs. white garlic“I love the texture,” she says. “It’s sweet. It’s spicy. It’s everything together.” Website; Instructions

Let us know where you enjoyed a good fig dish in London in the comments below. AND Follow FT Globetrotter on Instagram at @FTGlobetrotter