Having never been but heard great things, recently for a hen party evening we visited The Botanist. Booked about 2 months in advance. When we arrived we were warmly welcomed by the door man and given directions to which floor to go to. There are a lot of stairs , but there is lift if you need assistance.
When we walked in the place was heaving, when you looked around it was mostly hen parties. The decor was great with plants, ambient lighting and a little stream with a bridge. We were sat right by the stream on some wicker chairs. If you have hips, I would say these are not the most comfortable of chairs.
Once everyone had arrived it was time to get some drinks in. We had pre ordered our food which came with one drink. The options were a wine, beer or mocktail. I had opted for a mocktail of a strawberry and elderflower mojito. Most others had done the same , or opted for a small wine.
Once we all had a drink it was time to start bringing out our food. Luckily we had been sent an email when doing our pre order so there was no confusion. I had chosen the calamari, which came with either crispy kale or seaweed. The presentation of the food was very different from on dish to another. As you can see on the picture above my greens were an after thought, where my friend had her calamari neatly placed on top of the greens. The calamari though was cooked very well, a nice crunch but not too greasy. Others had opted for such dishes as hummus and flat bread. They had a fair few options for vegans and veggies which was a bonus.
Onto the mains, these were brought out pretty much right after the starters had been cleared away. Most people had opted for either the hanging kebabs or the burgers. Myself I had opted for the lamb kebab with chips. The kebab hangs just above the chips, so when you pour the sauce on the chips are drizzled in it as well. The lamb was lovely and aromatic and the drizzle was lovely and garlicky.
It then was the final round, pudding . I opted for a mint aero cookie dough, this was a good size and was pipping hot. The ice cream melted and the cookie dough was so minty but not over powering. My friend Katie had the cheesecake, luckily I had a slither to try. The cheesecake was fresh and the drizzle so fruity.
Overall I think I would returned, but on a quieter day. The meal is great value for money , 3 courses and a drink for £32.50. Paying at the end was a bit complicated mind using QR codes. The tablet made it hard to split the bill , but one of the staff helped make it a bit simpler. Next time I think I will be trying to see what the roof top terrace is all about as I've heard good things.
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