Best meal I’ve had in Adelaide. Service was on point. Price is fantastic for the level of food and service you receive. Will certainly be a spot to entertain those visiting from out of town. Highly recommend.
As good a lunch as we've ever had (and we do like a good lunch). Lovely setting, both inside and the view. Impeccable service. And the food was wonderful. The word that comes to mind for me is 'thoughtful'. A lot of places that put together a list of ingredients in what I think of as modern Australian cuisine clearly use dice to arrange them. They line up thirty or forty of them and the dice then decides which ones will be the starter, the mains, the dessert.
Whereas head chef Paul Baker and his team have looked at the ingredients and decided what will work...and what won't. Nothing jarred, everything was in its place.
We had a tough time making our choices and are already looking ahead to our next visit to try some of the others. Congratulations to the restaurant, no doubt a well-deserved hat, though why stop at the one?
This is one of Adelaide’s we’ll know restaurants I have always wanted to go to. Set in Adelaide’s beautiful Botanic Gardens it is a wonderful location for lunch or dinner. The degustation menu with paired wines was absolutely fabulous. Fresh local produce with the most amazing presentation and flavours. Anthony our waiter was just perfect. Professional and a great sense of humour. Will definitely be back and thank you so much for an amazing evening.
Wow what great food, wines and service. We did the 5 course degustation with matching wines, and they were spot on! From the warm welcome to the special touch on the menu (happy anniversary note on the menu - see pic), they were all amazing. A special shoutout to the sommelier who took the time explaining the process of choosing and matching wines.
We had the degustation (tasting menu) and everything was just devine! Seafood was fresh and you can really taste all the flavours in each dish. The staff were all very friendly from start to finish. In terms of dessert, their tiramisu was probably the beat one I’ve had yet! Definitely would like to return.
You haven't been here? Why?
So? Why haven't you been here yet? Beautiful setting, brilliant service and award winning chefs, need I say anymore? Do I really need to write this review? Yes? Oh, you want pictures, right? Take my hand and walk with me. Meander through the lush gardens, smell the rain intermingled with beautiful flora.....no it wasn't fertiliser laying time. Oh, thank goodness for that!..........To read the rest of my review, click on the link below.
On Friday I posted my first Festival of Food 2018 experience – British Raj. It was certainly a good start of the event this year. To continue our journey, Tina and I dug into the second on our list, Botanic Gardens Restaurant. When mentioning Botanic Gardens Restaurant, there is no need to give extra introduction. Headed by Paul Baker, the Chef of the Year 2017, the nationally acclaimed multi-award winning restaurant is located centrally in the famed picturesque Adelaide Botanic Gardens. Local produce, especially edible plantations grown in the garden are used here and Paul has transformed them into vibrant live flavours on the plate. An extensive wine selection is available at the venue and can be paired with the dishes.
A milestone birthday celebration bought a group of us for lunch to the Botanic Gardens Restaurant. The service was efficient, professional and non intrusive. Due to the fact that we wouldn't stop talking they were great about returning for menu and drink orders. It was great that they explained each dish as it was presented to remind us what we had ordered. All the food was delicious and at three courses with some sides it was just the right amount of food too. The atmosphere is lovely as it's in the Botanic Gardens and surrounded by trees.
We recently dined at this lovely restaurant and we really enjoyed the meal. We chose to have 3 courses for $75 and a couple of sides to share. The main course of beef rib was nice but the lamb was sensational. I also loved the hint of wasabi in the Brussels sprouts, they were so moorish and super delicious. Dessert was great, I really enjoyed my parfait with a hint of orange. My husband wasn't really a fan of his poached rhubarb, it was probs my a little small. My favorite dish was the starter of polenta with field mushrooms, it was so delicious I could have eaten a whole bowl. Service was quite good, staff were friendly. I think if I went back I would go for lunch so I could enjoy the beautiful surroundings in daylight hours.
I have been frequenting this establishment every year since Festival of Food started and even long before that, actually !!
We had already visited some of the FOF establishments purely on the dishes they had to offer and when interstate foodie mate and myself perused what was on offer on the Botanic menu, we were intrigued, decision made, Botanic it is!
The Botanic is one of Adelaide’s finest restaurants and the setting is really gorgeous.
When we visited last year, it was on a blustery, rainy, cold evening, which made the trek to the restaurant, even more exciting, adding to the anticipation. There is a different character during the daylight, but still fabulous.
The massive advantage the Botanic has, is their staff, they are highly professional and informative, which is difficult to find these days. We did find one of the wait staff a little snappy and standoffish but I suppose we can’t always be on top of our game and maybe she was just having a bad day.
Note: Wine is expensive here, we have great wine in SA and yet we still pay just as much as anyone else in Australia, can be annoying.
We were seated and ordered away, I was excited about the tasting entrée plate, as the delicacies sounded so interesting.
Our entrée plate arrived promptly and unfortunately, did not have one item on there that was mentioned, sad face! This was one of the reasons we came here. The three items we received had no real wow factor and we were a little disappointed. Fresh oyster (which unfortunately I don’t eat but wish I could!!) was not replaced so I just gave it away, a slice of terrine which we found under seasoned and under spiced and some kingfish which was average. I believe it would have been much better had we’d been informed of the changes before we received them and not after. I did make mention to the waitress that I do not eat raw oysters but it was just dismissed. When we asked why we didn’t get the FOF mentioned share plate, we were told, this is subject to change (not mentioned on the brochure btw) which I understand, it just would have been nice if we were informed at booking stage or upon being seated. I know this probably sounds petty, but, when you frequent restaurants just for the food alone, it can be disappointing when you don’t receive what your palate was expecting! Onto the mains, I had the whiting and foodie mate had the pork, both of the dishes were nice, not really outstanding and my dish had the smallest piece of whiting on it I have ever seen! Yes, I understand FOF costings etc, but it was the size of an entrée and not really a main. I do love the use of the garden ingredients and it’s wonderful that you get to try a load of different textures and flavours, which is fabulous for tourists. We had sides of potatoes and sprouts which were incredibly generous and excellent. Again, we did not receive the petit fours mentioned on the brochure of the Bitter chocolate and Satsuma plum, we had the quince dish instead, this was okay, personally we both found the quince to be undercooked.
We just thought it was not quite up to the standard that we were used to from this 5 Star establishment.
We still enjoyed our time at The Botanic and will return.
Thank you Team.
The Botanic Gardens restaurant is part of the ‘Festival of Food’ with its kitchen headed up by acclaimed chef Paul Baker. With a garden to kitchen philosophy the seasonal menu reflects what’s grown in the surrounding stunning Botanic Gardens. The restaurant is nestled in the centre of the gardens and as we were dining in the evening, entered after closing, from Plane Tree drive. It was eerie walking along the well-lit path shrouded in leaves, with the mild screeching of fruit bats flying above the leaf cover.
Walking up to the beautiful light up restaurant on a dark Friday night, through the gorgeous gardens set the scene for an exquisite dining experience at the Botanic Gardens Restaurant. Refined food, presented elegantly with quality over quantity. Devine!
Adelaide's new restaurant has definitely made its mark. I was beyond blown away by the quality of the food, the devotion of the staff to making every little detail perfect, and the uniqueness of their approach.
The food is not only amazing, but the entire experience is a journey. I see big things for this restaurant in the future, they should be very proud of themselves
What a wonderful experience!!!
Credit to Justin James and the team at Restaurant Botanic.
A beautiful meal that was highly technique driven, matched with superb service!
It’s easy to see why Gourmet Traveller gave Restaurant Botanic the no.1 title in SA.
Our experience was approximately 4 hours.
Do yourself a favour. Book. Spend money. Enjoy!
Simply put: the best meal I've had in my life. The phenomenal presentation, fantastic atmosphere, absolutely outstanding service, DELICIOUS food - everything about this place is a home run. 10/10 dining perfection, felt like I was floating off a cloud in a dream as I left here. Every single dish that came out was amazing and presented with such care to detail, the hardest part was trying to figure out what I liked best - each course stood out uniquely on it's own, each bite was bliss. What they charge pales in comparison to what you get back, if you're in Adelaide - make reservations and GO. I will come back anytime I'm ever near Adelaide again.
Amazing restaurant. I thought Hentley Farm was Adelaide's top restaurant, but Botanic now has top spot, but there is a quail's egg in it. It is easily in the top 10 restaurants in Australia (and I am well eaten!). Not only is the food amazing, but the presentation and service are outstanding. It is a true experience, so allow 4 to 5 hours and indulge. You won't be disappointed
It’s a place for special occasions, what a fantastic charming and very memorable experience. Had the short trail and wine pairings. Feast for the eyes and palate. Loved loved the service and atmosphere. Can’t wait to come back.
Wonderful experience! The service was impeccable (Marcell is a superstar!). Food was amazing, unique with incredible flavours and sensational wine pairings. Can't recommend enough!!
We are enjoying a unique experience - having not been to Restaurant Botanic for many years, it’s wonderful to have our taste buds tantalised with such creative foods. We are working our way through a 23 course meal ( mouthful or so for each) …
Will definitely be coming back again - no long breaks! Patricia & Mike
Thoroughly deserving of all five stars as the Long Trail was the best degustation I've ever experienced. Food and service were both amazing. I also highly recommend the 'Temperance' non-alcoholic beverage pairing.
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