The Botanist Sunday lunch review

If we had visitors to the region to stay with us, or I was recommended somewhere to go for a hen do. the Botanist would be one of the first places I would recommend for something to eat. Especially if you can get one of the prima stops sitting in the window because afterall, what better way to show off our great city that with a window seat over looking the prettiest street in the country over Sunday lunch?

If you’re old like me, you’ll remember the space that the Botanist now occupies as the old Monument Mall, and they’ve definitely made the most of the large dome which used to house the food court. It’s visually stunning and an instagrammers dream. There was no such luck for us on this occasion as all the best spots at the window were taken, but still, being 2pm on a sunny Sunday afternoon it was still bright and welcoming.

We had a £30 voucher which we’d been given as a Christmas gift, and since we were off work on the Monday we thought it would be the perfect opportunity to treat ourselves to a fancy Sunday lunch. The offer is £17.50 for two courses and £21.50 for three. You don’t actually seem to get the choice of having a roast on its own here, which seems a bit steep, however, who I am I turn down a pudding? We decided to be tactical and share a starter and a pudding so we were able to have a try of bit of everything without being too full.

I’m not normally a fan of a starter for Sunday lunch; it’s not something we ever had at home, we were strictly a main and a pud family. And when I say pud I mean a shared Vienetta. So with that in mind (and not wanting to get too full, we shared the calamari. Which was nice, I mean it’s calamari, it’s hard to get wrong, the squid was tender and the batter was crispy, not greasy so we were off to a strong start.

As you have now come to expect, it was the chicken for me, which as you can see from the picture, is a hefty rotisserie chicken on the bone, seasoned simply with a little bit of salt. Dave went for the lamb, which came in three decent sized chunks, was nice and thick and done on the pink side so was really tender. The home-made mint sauce was a nice touch. Both were served with mustard glazed carrots, red cabbage, broccoli, roast potatoes, a Yorkshire pudding and rotisserie gravy. My chicken didn’t come with stuffing balls as standard, which I thought was odd, so I ordered some on the side, apricot as sage as it happens, and they were worth every bit of the extra £2.50. Did it, however, pass the Yorkshire pudding test?

Well, it wasn’t the biggest yorkie we’ve had so far (that spot is currently held by Babucho) but it was a sterling effort, light and crispy. And there was plenty of gravy to mop up with it.

One the best ideas we had that day? To share a starter and share a pudding because The Botanists legendary sweet hanging kebabs are quite simply magnificent. Marshmallow, brownie pieces, and fruit with warm chocolate sauce to drizzle over? Inspired. And perfect for sharing too. It really topped off our Sunday lunch nicely!

Location wise, you can’t fault this place, the vibe is the perfect balance between laid back and trendy. The food is extremely well done (if albeit on the little pricy side if I’m completely honest) and the desserts are to die for.

It’s a yes from me.