|
| |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
Awards
|
2008 |
|
The Age Good Food Guide 2008 - Two Chef's Hats |
| |
2007 |
|
The Age Good Food Guide 2007 - Two Chef's Hats |
|
Related Editorial Content
|
| |
User Reviews on Botanical
|
| |
|
Displaying 1 - 10 of 18 comments
|
| |
|
Page:
1
2
Next
|
|
| |
|
|
| Overall |
  
|
Recommended |
 |
Food 8 |
Ambience 6 |
Service 7 |
Value 4 |
|
|
Great food, except hideously overpriced. $33.50-45.50 for a main is not correct, my steak was $58. Absolutely delicious food, however the service was a bit odd - at times it was excellent but then we'd be left alone for large stretches of time. There was a mix up with the sparkling wine we ordered, and we ended up being served a $160 bottle of champagne without realizing! However the management were willing to go halves on the difference which I found fair, and they dealt with it in a very professional and pleasant manner.
They really need to work on the ambience - tables are too long as mentioned in other reviews, meaning you're too far away from your partner. It's very loud and there's a noticeable drop in temperature as you walk from one end of the restaurant to the other.
If the food were priced a bit better I would have no hesitation in recommending this restaurant - the "Hanger Steak" I had is one of the best steaks I've had. However things really are very expensive for what you get, there is a noticeable lack of polish to the place which lets it down. Hopefully they can improve on this.
|
| |
|
Was this review helpful?
|
|
| |
mech -
See my reviews 10 , 19 September 2008
|
Manage this Listing to respond
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Overall |
|
Highly Recommended |
|
Food 9 |
Ambience 9 |
Service 9 |
Value 9 |
|
|
This restaurant is one that deserves its two chef hats award. I was quite surprised to walk in a place that was filled with customers. But what occurred to me was that they were all satisfied diners.
My boyfriend and I were whisked away, being swept off our tummies by their entree, main and dessert accompanied by recommended wines for each course. What I personally love there were the tuna sashimi with grilled prawns and aged t-bone steak (which was the special for that night).
Will definitely go back to this restaurant soon. There's nothing like a night of pampering with food and wine.
|
| |
|
Was this review helpful?
|
|
| |
|
lkgene -
See my reviews 4, 07 September 2008
|
Manage this Listing to respond
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Overall |
|
Not Recommended |
|
Food 1 |
Ambience 7 |
Service 2 |
Value 1 |
|
|
We ate at Botanical on Saturday night (9/8/2008). Having lived in Sydney the last 12 months, and in Canberra for 9 years prior, we don't get to Botanical that often, but have eaten here on numerous occasions over the last few years. The standard has certainly dropped.
We were pleased to be able to get a table at short notice on Saturday night (called on Saturday morning). On arrival (30 minutes early for our 9pm sitting), it took no less than 10 minutes to attract the attention of someone who was willing to attend to us. All staff were just too pre-occupied. When we said that we had a 9pm booking, we were told we could wait in the bar, and they would seat us at 9pm, despite there being no less than 5 free tables (3 being the 2 seat tables we required) throughout the restaurant (when we were seated at 9pm-ish we were seated on one of the tables that was free 25 minutes earlier).
So we had a quick drink in the bar.....$16.50 for two drinks, a G&T (made with post-mix tonic) and an Asahi, the price is kinda expected I guess....the post-mix for that price isn't.
On return to the restaurant at 9.20pm it then took an extra few minutes to get some attention to be seated. Once seated, it took a further 5 minutes to be given a menu. It then took another 10 minutes to get someone to take our order, at which we were told the menu item (swordfish pie I think or something like that) my partner was ordering was no longer available.
We ordered Steak Frites (medium-rare) and Pork Belly. The meal took over half an hour to arrive, which we expect at a busy restaurant. There was no offer of a second glass of wine though, so as we were drinking by the glass, we had to drink quite slowly to bridge the time gap.
The Steak Frites was undercooked, medium rare it was not. Rare to blue it was. Still edible but not how it was ordered. The dressing on the salad was also so overpowering with horseradish it was not enjoyable.
The pork belly was not crispy in any way, and the skin was rubbery and hard to cut. The dish itself was relatively bland (a big ask for pork-belly). There were some kind of bacon lardon intricately dotted around edges of the plate (making me think of how much handling my meal would have had by the "chef"), but they were flavourless, making it all completely superfluous. It was undoubtedly the worst pork belly I've eaten. So two glasses of wine, two main meals, and a side of broccolini (which was broccoli by the way, and overcooked to the point of falling apart) came to nearly $160.
We are used to paying top dollar for meals....in fact quite enjoy doing it when the experience is worth it. This is the worst meal and experience I have had in that price range in literally years. We won't be coming back. Appalling, for what used to be a great place to eat.
|
| |
|
Was this review helpful?
|
|
| |
|
hugo4motion -
See my reviews 1, 11 August 2008
|
Manage this Listing to respond
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Overall |
|
Average |
|
Food 5 |
Ambience 7 |
Service 5 |
Value 4 |
|
|
Four of us visited this restaurant recently on a Friday night. High expectations were met with crushing disappointment. A pedestrian steak and fish menu was thinly disguised as fine-dining fare. Service poor, staff clearly uninterested in the food or the clientele. Took 25 minutes to get the first drink. Dishes off in presentation, taste and temperature. Ingredients of dubious quality.
A medium-rare steak came out raw topped with deep fried onion rings. A lackluster main of prawns was served in a fancy copper saucepan with what looked like tinned tomatoes and cheap pasta. Pub fare this may be but fine dining, definitely not. Not sure what happened to this once great restaurant. Overall, mutton dressed up as lamb.
|
| |
|
Was this review helpful?
|
|
| |
|
ldabreo -
See my reviews 1, 30 June 2008
|
Manage this Listing to respond
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Overall |
|
Average |
|
Food 6 |
Ambience 6 |
Service 2 |
Value 3 |
|
|
|
The menu concentrates on Oysters and a variety of steaks. If you are looking for something more innovative and eclectic you might struggle apart from a dish or two. A lot of emphasis on presentation but not necessarily substance. Extensive wine selection. Don't even bother about the desserts. At those prices one would expect exceptional food. The service is one of the worst we have had in that price class!
|
| |
|
Was this review helpful?
|
|
| |
|
fussy eaters -
See my reviews 11, 25 April 2008
|
Manage this Listing to respond
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Overall |
|
Average |
|
Food 9 |
Ambience 3 |
Service 3 |
Value 8 |
|
|
|
Plus, some of the most intensely flavoured and generous food in Melbourne and worth every cent. Leave desserts. Plus, one of the finest winelists/bottleshop options around, and that doesn't include the glass cellar (First Growths, DRC, d'Yquem galore). Minus, absent staff, noisy dining room (but it was a pub!). Enjoy the food and wine, but don't tip.
|
| |
|
Was this review helpful?
|
|
| |
|
merlot -
See my reviews 88, 05 November 2007
|
Manage this Listing to respond
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Overall |
|
Highly Recommended |
|
Food 9 |
Ambience 7 |
Service 10 |
Value 8 |
|
|
|
Really good modern food with great nuances of flavour. The prices are solid and the wines by the glass excellent. The room can get noisy when full and it was certainly full and noisy. I notice people complaining about the price of bottled water, thankfully their taps were working the night I was there.
|
| |
|
Was this review helpful?
|
|
| |
|
ftrooper -
See my reviews 13, 26 October 2007
|
Manage this Listing to respond
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Overall |
|
Recommended |
|
Food 8 |
Ambience 8 |
Service 7 |
Value 1 |
|
|
|
Went there for our anniversary. Oysters for entree were excellent, the main course (steak) was good, but I felt overpriced, and the desert was average. I was surprised at the standard of dress of the wait staff (a bit scruffy) and given the prices which in my view were excessive, I'd probably look for better value elsewhere.
|
| |
|
Was this review helpful?
|
|
| |
|
Beaufort -
See my reviews 7, 25 September 2007
|
Manage this Listing to respond
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Overall |
|
Average |
|
Food 8 |
Ambience 7 |
Service 5 |
Value 4 |
|
|
Had lunch here recently on one of my regular food and wine pilgrimages to Melbourne. Took along a bottle of Dom Perignon that I received for a special birthday and was a bit underwhelmed by the $25 corkage fee. Food was excellent, but was served by a waitress who looked like she had slept in the frayed shirt that she had on. Made up a stupid answer to a question that I asked about the food, rather than ask the chef. Unhelpful.
Finally, $12 for a bottle of San Pelegrino is an absolute disgrace!! At a fine diner like Bennelong or Flower Drum you might forgive them, but at a comfy bistro like Botanical you feel like you have just been mugged in the park. This is barely a One Chef's Hat restaurant.
|
| |
|
Was this review helpful?
|
|
| |
|
johnno2704 -
See my reviews 1, 11 September 2007
|
Manage this Listing to respond
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Overall |
|
Highly Recommended |
|
Food 9 |
Ambience 9 |
Service 9 |
Value 9 |
|
|
|
My boyfriend took me here for my birthday in March, it was beautiful, the marrow with the steak was a divine touch.
|
| |
|
Was this review helpful?
|
|
| |
|
greenfrufru -
See my reviews 1, 12 July 2007
|
Manage this Listing to respond
|
|
|
|
|
Special OffersRegisterTell a FriendAdvertiseRestaurateursLogin
Hi, Anonymous
Favourites
Website
Map
Weather
Tell Friends
Print
Add to your list
