by Chrissy Iley
The Botanist at Sloane Square is a busy, pretty restaurant. It could be one of those ladies who lunch places but it is not, it is better than that. They clearly paid great attention to detail, to who their customer should be and what they are like. They have this quirky cocktail menu and the restaurant is filled with female friendly, light dishes as well as comforting cosy tasty ones. It is very well thought out.
The graphic on the menu is inviting. It looks like a leaf from a book Harry Potter would have in his library. Old world botanical drawing. It says this is going to be a little bit special as well as totally accessible. I have been at various times of the day and it always has a buzzy atmosphere. And the service has recently improved greatly. They are on it.
The starters menu could easily double as main courses or maybe two starters. I had the Spiced Cauliflower Soup (£7) with cauliflower cheese croquette. It was divine.
I have noticed cauliflower is making a big comeback. Less carbs but more comfort. I have grown to be a big fan. This soup had the perfect amount of spice. It tasted exotic and interesting but not overpowering. It was also the perfect creamy texture without being heavy. Its smoothness was a tantalizing contrast to the crispy cauliflower cheesy bits.
My friend had a simple salad, which was fresh and delicious. Other people around us were eating the Botanist Seasonal Salad with herb goat cheese, baby artichokes, pickled cauliflower, black radish, wild rice, toasted peanuts and quinoa. It was vividly coloured and looked great but it is really a main course salad.
My friend was tempted by many different things on the menu, the Shrimp Burger (£21) with harissa, Thai slow and french fries looked good as did the kilo of Shetland Isle Mussels(£17.50) We saw those on other people`s plates.
But in the end we both went for the Spinach And Ricotta Tortellini with roast pumpkin and parmesan (£17). The pasta was extremely comforting. There is something about roasted pumpkin that fills you with cosiness. We did add extra parmesan but that is because I am a cheese fiend and I wanted to give it that extra bite. We accompanied this with a bottle of house wine, which was delicious.
On other occasions I have had a very delicious cocktail. The Botanist Sour (£10.50) is an uplifting combo of gin, apple, elderflower, lemon and egg white.
We were absolutely full but could not resist a scoop of delicious honeycomb ice cream accompanied by a gorgeous Brule. The Brule was the perfect texture; silky and fluffy in the cream part, with a wonderful sugary crisp on top. There are a lot of other restaurants in the area, it is highly competitive and the Botanist is on its game.
The Botanist, 7 Sloane Square, London, SW1W 8EE, info@thebotanistonsloanesquare.com, 020 7730 0077, www.thebotanistonsloanesquare.com.