Food fiend's review of The Botanist

I wasnt hugely enamoured with The Botanist – there just didnt seem to be anything special about the food. The place itself is hugely buzzy so i felt you were paying for the atmosphere rather than anything else. Full of Alexa Chung lookalikes or glam people coming back from Ascot.

I decided on steak which was pretty decent and a better piece than expected. Chips were average as were the other sides. My friend had the gazpacho soup and risotto for main – all part of the set menu. Id say that the selection on the menu was much more limited than the one you see on the web but all the standard fare is there (except a choice of about 5 mains rather than the 10 or so on the web). Service was very inexperienced but friendly enough. Pudding again was relatively average – a Knickerbockerglory – no real skill here but was good. Overall the bill for my steak and pudding and one drink was £45 for pretty hefty bill!

I think the owners also own the Cadogan Arms which is further down Kings Road and offer 50% off food via Squaremeal so i did find myself wondering whether i was paying just to be near Sloane Square if its all the same owners. I think if i were going on food alone, its nothing too special but if you are looking for a buzzy place to meet friends and have a buzzy vibe, then the Botanist should suit.