The Botanist
Itchy eats dinner in a rather pretty greenhouse, and learns some chilli-related life lessons.
Review
It's a bit trendy, this one. Although the bar and dining area are
separate, The Botanist is spacious and light throughout, so the tone's
a little more 'casual dinner with trendy friends' than 'candlelit
romantic meal with the boyf'. Which suits Itchy just fine. We like to
be able to read the menu without setting fire to our hair.
Itchy's never professed to being an expert on wine (apart from when it comes to drinking it, obvs), so we were pleased to be able to relinquish that decision to our waitress, who served up a lovely middle-of-the-range plonk (Viognier Rothschild) in our very own cooling bucket on a stick, and was attentive to our every and frequent need in the glass-replenishing department. Clever trick or charming hospitality: you decide.
To start, +1 opted for the 'Seared Black Pearl Scallops served with Caramelised Fennel, Ginger, Lime, Spring Onion and Soy Sauce' whereas Itchy went for the 'Gambas, Rocket, Garlic Aioli and Rustic Bread'. +1 had earlier been heard to exclaim: ”Eight quid for three scallops?!“, but these were, admittedly, the biggest scallops Itchy has ever seen.
Although they weren't the most delicately cooked, the intense, oriental flavours were surprisingly complementary. And as for gambas (giant king prawns for the ignorant among you/us), Itchy could have eaten them all up, whiskers and all.
The main meal received mixed reviews from Itchy and +1. +1 went all macho on us and ordered the 'Ribeye Steak, Smoked Paprika & Tomato Butter, Watercress and Frites', while Itchy chose the 'Linguini, Tiger Prawns, Crab, Chorizo, Chilli, Tomato & White Wine' on the advice from our waitress who assured us it was ”not very spicy at all“. Well, she must have the chilli tolerance levels of a dragon, for Itchy had the heat sweats after three forkfuls.
Having the waiter clearing our plates look at Itchy sympathetically and tell us it was, in reality, ”really quite spicy“ didn't help. +1, meanwhile, worked his way through his ”just perfect“ steak and his ”really tasty“, crispy, salty, melt-in-your-mouth fries, looking incredibly smug. Yeah yeah.
Pudding, pudding, hurrah, Itchy's favourite course of every meal. All was plain sailing for +1, whose 'Sticky Toffee Pudding & Vanilla Ice Cream' was surprisingly light and sweet, and the perfect size for someone who had just put away half a cow. Yet although Itchy had noticed the menu was actually pretty good on the veggie front, there were no puddings for the dairy-intolerant. Much mourning occurred. They did, however, rustle us up a fruit salad in which pineapple core and mouth-burningly acidic coulis seemed to be the key ingredients. Not great, but at least they tried, right?
If you're after greenhouse-chic and tasty food, then The Botanist is probably a pretty good shout. Just make sure you check the menu if you're 'dietarily awkward' like Itchy, and stick to the classics - they're what The Botanist does best.
Amy Ryder
Itchy's never professed to being an expert on wine (apart from when it comes to drinking it, obvs), so we were pleased to be able to relinquish that decision to our waitress, who served up a lovely middle-of-the-range plonk (Viognier Rothschild) in our very own cooling bucket on a stick, and was attentive to our every and frequent need in the glass-replenishing department. Clever trick or charming hospitality: you decide.
To start, +1 opted for the 'Seared Black Pearl Scallops served with Caramelised Fennel, Ginger, Lime, Spring Onion and Soy Sauce' whereas Itchy went for the 'Gambas, Rocket, Garlic Aioli and Rustic Bread'. +1 had earlier been heard to exclaim: ”Eight quid for three scallops?!“, but these were, admittedly, the biggest scallops Itchy has ever seen.
Although they weren't the most delicately cooked, the intense, oriental flavours were surprisingly complementary. And as for gambas (giant king prawns for the ignorant among you/us), Itchy could have eaten them all up, whiskers and all.
The main meal received mixed reviews from Itchy and +1. +1 went all macho on us and ordered the 'Ribeye Steak, Smoked Paprika & Tomato Butter, Watercress and Frites', while Itchy chose the 'Linguini, Tiger Prawns, Crab, Chorizo, Chilli, Tomato & White Wine' on the advice from our waitress who assured us it was ”not very spicy at all“. Well, she must have the chilli tolerance levels of a dragon, for Itchy had the heat sweats after three forkfuls.
Having the waiter clearing our plates look at Itchy sympathetically and tell us it was, in reality, ”really quite spicy“ didn't help. +1, meanwhile, worked his way through his ”just perfect“ steak and his ”really tasty“, crispy, salty, melt-in-your-mouth fries, looking incredibly smug. Yeah yeah.
Pudding, pudding, hurrah, Itchy's favourite course of every meal. All was plain sailing for +1, whose 'Sticky Toffee Pudding & Vanilla Ice Cream' was surprisingly light and sweet, and the perfect size for someone who had just put away half a cow. Yet although Itchy had noticed the menu was actually pretty good on the veggie front, there were no puddings for the dairy-intolerant. Much mourning occurred. They did, however, rustle us up a fruit salad in which pineapple core and mouth-burningly acidic coulis seemed to be the key ingredients. Not great, but at least they tried, right?
If you're after greenhouse-chic and tasty food, then The Botanist is probably a pretty good shout. Just make sure you check the menu if you're 'dietarily awkward' like Itchy, and stick to the classics - they're what The Botanist does best.
Amy Ryder
Tags
restaurant |
lunch |
dinner |
★ ★ ★ |
