I definitely couldn't wait for this - The Botanist in Birmingham is fairly new, opened in March 2015 and I had seen so many amazing pictures on Facebook and Instagram I couldn't wait to try it. Its a bar/restaurant, its almost like a hidden garden! Its light and airy but so pretty, with little bits of Science equipment around the place in cabinets and on shelves. Its very quirky and different, but I really liked it! There is also a lovely seating area outside which when the weather is good will be delightful to sit out drinking and eating with friends.
I was very excited to try the food after having a sneak peak at the menu online before and seeing many other bloggers pictures on Instagram etc.
The drinks menu is extensive - its full of beers, wines, spirits and cocktails … my favourite! If only I wasn't driving, I could've stayed all night and tried the different array of cocktails they had. They serve them in such cool ways too, if theres a group of you, you can order the Watering Can cocktail which comes with mini buckets as glasses! It took me a while to decide which cocktail to order as they all sounded so delicious.
Blueberry & Passion Fruit Martini - Mint, Blueberry Purée, Green Mark Vodka, Licor 43, Passion Fruit Syrup, Lemon and Sugar
£6.95
The cocktails range from £6-£10 which is pretty much average price for cocktails out in Birmingham, Tom had a G&T which I felt was very expensive! £9 for a Gin & Tonic isn't cheap but they offer so many different types of gins and tonics - which is good for the G&T lovers, such as Tom!
Now once I had sipped my cocktail I was ready to order food - I was so excited!
Homemade Scotch Egg - with Piccalili
£5.95
Basket of Wings - Served with either BBQ, Peri-Peri
or Chipotle Creme Fraiche
£5.95
I loved the presentation of both dishes, it wouldn't suit everyone especially the Basket of Wings but I really liked the quirkiness of it. I loved the Scotch Egg - it tasted so fresh and I could tell its homemade, the outer meat was smokey and flavoursome, the egg was perfectly runny, as it should be, it was served with a generous helping of Piccalilli, which again tasted fresh and a side salad which had a dressing on it, very nice. The Basket of Wings wasn't what I expected - I thought the sauce would be covered all of the wings, I was slightly disappointed by this because I love my sauce and the little pot wasn't big enough to dip the wings into it. However, the chicken was tender and full of flavour, the chicken skin was crispy and salty. Tasty, but I would suggest either covering the wings in the sauce or getting a bigger pot of it, which is easier to dip.
I had admired certain dishes on other peoples tables and seen picture of this and as prawns are one my favourite foods ever, I knew I had to have one of the famous, Hanging Kebabs, The Botanist specialise in these. They offer, Lamb, Chicken, Beef, Prawns or Vegetarian and they come with different sides.
Prawn Hanging Kebab - Sopped with Sweet Chilli, Ginger
and Garlic Butter
£13.50
I loved the presentation, so unusual and a really brilliant idea! The sauce is poured over the top through a little hole at the top, the chips get drizzled in all the yummy sauce but somehow don't get soggy. Its a very fun meal, it comes with mushrooms and peppers too, I had fun picking all the parts away from the hanging kebab and they worked perfectly with the prawns. I loved the sauce, it was amazing. Probably the best garlic and ginger sauce I have ever had - it was delicious! So sweet, tangy and sticky, I could've drank the stuff! Definitely my favourite part of the meal!
I should've skipped dessert to be fair as I was so full but Tom persuaded me and I'm glad we did!
Strawberry & Marshmallow Hanging Kebab - Served with Sailor Jerry Sauce
& Vanilla Ice Cream
£4.95
I feel £4.95 is a very good price for a dessert, especially one this different! It comes presented the same way as the main Hanging Kebabs - this was laced with fresh strawberries and soft, bouncy marshmallows with chocolate sauce that the waiting staff pour over the top through the little hole at the top. The sauce then drizzles over the vanilla ice cream, making it all hard and gooey. I wouldn't say this dessert was amazing, its a very cool concept but I would like to try some of the others to see what they are like. Also, as we had to wait a while for our dessert, as the chef lost our cheque - we got it for free, which was lovely of the waiting staff!
What a great experience, I would definitely return, the service was very good throughout, except the slow dessert but they did make up for that. The drinks are fantastic, the food is delicious and it has a great atmosphere. I was very impressed!
*This meal was paid for by me, all opinions are my own as always.
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