The summer season is in full swing with The Botanist Cardiff’s new summer menu and this is what it’s like.
The brand-new food and drink menu has been launched across all of its sites and we were lucky enough to be invited to give it a try at their Cardiff restaurant.
So, what can you expect? The menu has been refreshed with seasonal flavours, lighter and brighter dishes, reviving botany-inspired cocktails as well as major updates to its signature (and fan favourite) hanging kebabs.
What’s more, vegetarian and vegan diners can choose from a growing menu of options, with almost half (46%) of dishes being vegetarian and a third (30%) now suitable for vegan diners. Options include the vegan meatball kebab roasted with marinara sauce, katsu curry with coconut rice and pickled ginger, and the roast cauliflower and onion bhaji burger, complete with mango sauce and mint raita.
The botany-inspired venue has become somewhat famous for its head-turning hanging kebabs, reporting last year that it sells over half a million (650,000) per year with three kebabs being served to hungry diners every minute. Fans of the iconic dish can delight in the new offering, which now has almost double the variations, with Thai red prawn, chicken tikka, katsu and Korean flavours being added.
We started by ordering the vegan meatballs, which were accompanied by roasted courgette, pepper and onion, with the fries being switched out for giant couscous (served cold). The meatballs had the same texture as regular ‘meat’ ones and the marinara sauce added plenty of flavour to this dish. The roasted veggies complimented the meatball kebab really well. We don’t often order meat free dishes, but we thought this particular dish didn’t compromise on taste and would be worth having again. The Botanist is known for its flavour after all.
In addition to the couscous, the fries can also be swapped for coconut rice for a lighter option saving over 40% of calories. Not that we’re counting!
So, this is exactly what we did with the piri-piri chicken kebab, which also comes served with additional coleslaw and corn on the cob (pictured above). The coconut rice wasn’t too strong, instead perfectly fragranced that did give it a refreshing twist. The amount of food was generous, and the photo above doesn’t do it justice. This is definitely one of their larger kebabs and left us feeling full. We were advised that the sauce pot of chilli mayo was best put to the side, rather than poured. As the chicken contained a little kick, the sauced helped cool the spice whilst uplifting the flavours of the piri-piri.
If hanging kebabs aren’t your thing then this is plenty on the menu to choose from. Although we didn’t try any of the following plates, there is an array of seasonal dishes for you to choose from. New menu items include roasted seabass with new potatoes, tomatoes and chicory leaves and bang bang noodle salad with rice noodles, broccoli, red peppers, sugar snaps and Asian slaw. The crispy batter on the restaurant’s fish and chips, calamari and cauliflower wings is also made using non-gluten ingredients.
Can’t decide what to try? You don’t have to.
The hot board now comes with tater tot poutine (topped with cheese and gravy), halloumi fries, Cumberland Scotch egg, salt and pepper chicken wings and chicken katsu bites. We chose this as a sharing starter, which was plentiful. Although, you can opt to have this as your main (which others around us were doing) with an added side.
When ordering our mains, we were originally tempted by the Chicken Katsu Curry dish, so this offered us a taster instead. The halloumi fries were the best that we’ve ever tasted, with a crispy crumb exterior and not felling like you’re chewing rubber which so few places get right. Likewise, the Scotch egg was really different and a highlight of the board. Although, it was all incredibly delicious, you can see why some people decide not to share it.
We weren’t sure what to expect of the tater tot poutine having not had it before. The simplest way to describe is to call them small potatoes. They were very tasty and the gravy sauce was different but delicious. We’d recommend this hot board all day long!
If there’s room for dessert, The Botanist’s signature cookie dough has had a cocktail-inspired update. Pina colada white chocolate cookie dough comes topped with caramelised pineapple, rum toffee sauce and coconut ice cream whilst the Pornstar is served with vodka passionfruit curd, whipped vanilla cream and a prosecco jelly shot.
Although we didn’t try any of the desserts this time (we were just too full), we did manage to relax with some of their new summer cocktails – including the return of their signature plant pot cocktail.
If you’ve been to The Botanist then you will know all about their cocktails. All of the drinks on the menu are bursting with botanical flavours and the same can be said for the plant pot. With every sip, you’d taste a twist of fresh flavours including beetroot, sage and rhubarb! It was lovely, but we wish there were more ‘sips’ as it quickly ran out.
In contrast, The Botanist cocktail consisting of Ketel One Vodka, rum and elderflower liqueur and is a classic. It was presented to us in a scientific looking bottle and was refreshingly good and lasted us a while. In fact, all of their drinks have had a makeover with new stylish glassware.
Other showstopping serves include passionfruit and basil crush, Thai chilli crush and the eponymous ‘The Botanist’ all served in a botany boiling flask. So, look out for those if that’s more your thing.
The waitress was very helpful in guiding us to different drinks based on what we had chosen to eat and the flavours that we like.
Speaking ahead of the launch, Executive Chef at The Botanist, James Scott said: “As a chef, it’s amazing to work with the vibrant ingredients that spring provides, and we’ve really brought those lighter, brighter elements through on this new menu, whilst working hard to make our classic signature dishes even more impressive.
“To make 30 percent of the menu vegan, we put the same level of creativity, care and detail into plant-based dishes as we have with the rest of the menu. It’s so important to us that this offering reflects the quality and flavour our guests have come to know and love when visiting our restaurants.”
Dishes start from £5.50 for starters, £13.75 for mains and £5.50 for desserts.
If you are looking to visit The Botanist Cardiff, we’d highly recommend booking ahead to guarantee a table.
To find out more and to book, visit: https://thebotanist.uk.com/
