Botanica & co. @ Bangsar South

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Bangsar South is the latest center for food and drinks for the working community of the surrounding office blocks of the area! 

Well it is a breath of fresh air to find a new place to hang out in comparison to the overly crowded Midvalley Mall which is constantly flooded with river of people

The botanica is a restaurant concept which is heavily inspired with the greenness from the jungle since that we are all surrounded with the concrete jungle.. 

The whole restaurant is decorated with vines which are suspended above their ceilings, long and wide windows and the furniture is all simple with rattan chairs and long comfortable plush sofa that just makes it really comfortable to sit for a long chat with great friends..

The music played in the background is really calming which makes it quite a place suitable for catching up with close friends or even a simple tea time date with the loved ones..

Initially I have always thought of Botanica as a deli as it was really famous for their sandwiches and salads but upon arriving to the The Verticals then only I realized that The Botanica has 2 different entities which are the restaurant and the Deli which the former caters for a long and relaxed lunch or dinner and the latter is for the office people that just wants a quick lunch.. 

Well they are kind enough to cater for the best of both worlds! 

I should spend more time in trying out these entities for myself..

The another surprising thing would be from their website.. I've found out that they have 4 different types of menu according to the hours of the day which are Brunch, Lunch, Teatime and Dinner menu.. 

So that time when we arrived to The Botanica restaurant; we were greeted with a warm welcome and the whole restaurant is really calm, relaxing and spacious! After we were seated, we were presented with the menu which I came to realized that it was a Tea Time menu! I was really surprised that the menu is really simple but quite constructive with an array of choices from sharing, salads to the desserts..

So let's start our adventure of the Botanica Tea Time menu & drinks!

After much observation, we ordered something to drink as we are rather thirsty and the most surprising part is that I came across with their recent milkshake creation and the amazing part that the milkshake is alcoholic! 

So for Tea time, I chosen the Rum & Raisin Milkshake (RM31).. This drink is made with alcohol as the name suggest there are elements of Rum in it! 

So if you're a huge fan of the Rum & Raisin in the ice cream version, I bet you would love it alot! 

As for me, I find it slightly disappointing as the Rum & Raisin milkshake has an interesting after taste of something that vaguely reminds you of cough syrup.. Not really a huge fan of this drink but its just has a faint taste of the rum and a huge portion of the cream.. 

Rum & Raisin Milkshake (RM31)

The next alcoholic milkshake that we had the pleasure of trying it out would be the Guinness Chocolate Milkshake .. This drink was already circulating wildly in the Instagram Feed and with that it made us very excited to make a visit to try this amazing concoction! 

Guinness Chocolate Milkshake (RM28)

Well the moment has arrived when it arrived so beautifully on the table with that signature Guinness stout glass with that creamy milkshake of the stout and chocolates that is served with a whipped cream and a big green straw! In terms of looks, it does look really photogenic and sexy enough to drink..
In terms of taste, it just a match made in heaven as the stout smokiness from the toasted barley and the bittersweet after taste from the stout itself which pairs surprisingly well with the chocolate and the milk to make the milkshake.. It's like the best alcoholic chocolate milkshake!

Slipper Lobster Bisque (RM21)

 The only appetizer that we opt to try from their Tea Time menu was the Slipper Lobster Bisque which is the only 2 soups available on the menu.. 

A little note is that if you choose to order this bisque, it requires the patience and waiting time of at least 20-25 minutes for it to prepare this beautiful seafood soup! So if you're a little press for time, then you can save for another tea time date.. 

Let's talk about this bisque! After enjoying our mains and the delicious alcoholic drinks, the bisque has chosen a perfect timing to present itself to us in a rather classic presentation with the fluffy and flaky puffy pastry.. So the bisque itself is really clear and clean with a strong aroma and flavour from the lobster and the vegetables brewed in it! 

The Ultimate Steak Sandwich (RM38)

The first main that came to our table is The Ultimate Steak Sandwich which is under the category of the Sandwiches and this dish is available in their Lunch, TeaTime & even on the Dinner menu! So don't you worry about not being able to sample on this sumptous beefy sandwich.. 

This steak sandwich is presented in a very simplistic yet very foodporn way in terms of photography but in terms of portion, it does reflects the name it was given which is pretty generous and ultimate as the protein itself weighs 120g and its Australian grain fed sirloin! 

That's actually the reason which this humble sandwich caught my eye in the menu!

So this gorgeous sirloin is conjoined together with the earthiness of the truffle baked portobello mushroom, the sweetness of the caramelized onions and finally being dressed with a few leaves of the wild rocket and drizzling of the magical yet spicy dijon mustard aioli! 

The first mouthful of the sandwich just brings jolts of the happy hormones to me as it may seem to taste rather simplistic but the flavours from each of the component just sings harmoniously together in my mouth! The sirloin was cooked perfectly well, juicy and delicious with that dijon mustard aioli; such a classic pairing! This sumptuous sandwich is served with a generous portion of the freshly fried chips which is surprisingly not oily or extremely salty..

Halibut Fish & Chips (RM39)

The next main that arrived to our table is the Halibut Fish & Chips.. 

The presentation of this dish is really simple as it was presented on a deep tray.. The portion of this main is really generous as the crispy halibut is really huge with 2 long yet thick pieces of fish and this 2 generous steaks of crispy fish is served under a bed of  steak fries that are huge alongside some greens and a bowl of tartar sauce.. 

The batter texture of the crispy Halibut is really crispy and crunchy yet light and not really oily whereas the inside of the fish is well cooked and moist! Quite surprised yet delicious that for RM39, the portion and the taste of it is really worthy for a late lunch or even for a tea time.. 

Verdict: 

The service here are excellent and speedy! 

Great place for a gathering or just a simple lunch with great food & drinks

Ambience: 4.5/5

Food: 4/5

Price:3.5/5

Service:4/5

Must Try :

Guinness Chocolate Milkshake 

Ultimate Steak Sandwich

Halibut Fish & Chips 

Botanica & Co. Restaurant & Bar

G5 Podium, The Vertical, Bangsar South City, 

No.8, Jalan Kerinchi, 59200, Kuala Lumpur

Opening Hours: 

Monday-Thursday

11:30am-10pm

Friday 

11:30am-12am

Saturday 

9:30am-12am

Sunday & PH

9:30am-10pm