Botanico at The Garage - Restaurant Review

Location: Botanic Gardens
Price: ££
Value for Money: 4/5
Overall: 4/5
Perfect for: Unique Experiences, Special Occasions

I’ve come to realise that I particularly enjoy dining at restaurants with unique and appealing interiors. Although dining out is very much about the food, the decor does play a part on how pleasurable the experience can be.

Botanico at The Garage is one such restaurant that ticks both boxes. Located in the lush and all-encompassing Botanic Gardens, this enchanting restaurant sits atop a restored 1920s building which is perfectly nestled in amongst what looks like a rainforest.

The Decor:

Once I’d made my way up to the second floor, I was greeted by a bright, wood-accented space with clean lines, twinkling fairy lights and friendly staff who saw us to our table.

The restaurant is made up of two spaces, firstly a large indoor dining area which houses the wine cellar and bar, and an adjacent alfresco terrace.

The terrace is fully covered and we were safe from the onslaught that is the Singapore rain shower, however we still felt like we were dining in a, fairy-light covered, forest canopy. This captivating decor instantly adds a unique feeling to the restaurant and makes it into more of an experience.

The Menu:

The menu at Botanico expertly blends European cuisine with popular Southeast Asian flavours. We opted for the 6-courses set menu which showcased the highlights from this distinctive menu. We also choose the wine pairing option to accompany our meal.

Our set menu started with rolled bread served with hot-smoked butter and condiments. This warm flaky bread and paired champagne was exactly what we needed to open up our palates.

As the pitter patter of rain continued around us, we moved onto our second course. This is a chef’s special of the day, and for us we were presented with angel hair noodles with scallops and specks of truffle which had a beautiful aroma to them. This well presented dish highlighted each of the delicate flavours beautifully.

The next dish was the 62.5° Onsen Egg, served with Chinese preserved sausage, mushroom duxelle and bacon cream espuma. This was one of my favourite dishes as the heady combination of bacon, sausage and mushroom took me back to breakfasts in the UK, and I could have easily eaten another portion of this.

The next course was the tomato basil soup served with charred bread and extra virgin olive oil. Again evoking memories of winters at home, a good tomato soup is perfect for a rainy day anywhere, whether it be England or Singapore.

These dishes were paired with a South African Chenin Blanc, a light wine which cut through the heavy flavours in the last two courses.

Our next course took inspiration more from the local heritage. The crab rissoni was served with deep-fried soft shell crab, seaweed and comté cheese. The crunch from the deep-fried crab added the necessary texture to the risotto like rissoni and was the perfect combination.

For the main course we had the choice of three dishes. I opted for the popular Kurobuta Pork Belly, which was served with a roasted parsnip, caramalised parsnip puree and wild rice puff. The pork belly is sous-vide for 12 hours, meaning that it is immensely soft and melts in the mouth.

This was paired with a Pinot Noir with a strong aroma to balance the fat from the dish.

My partner opted for the grilled Wagyu hanging tender, served with Jesusalem artichoke, asparagus and a mildly spicy Sze Chuan Pepper jus. There was a surprising amount of meat on the plate which my partner enjoyed very much! This was paired with a Shiraz, of which the deep flavours harmouniously complemented with the richness of the dish.

Finally we were onto dessert - my favourite course! There is also a choice here between 2 dishes and we opted for one of each.

The Varlhona chocolate merlot cake with feuilletine was rich, gooey and unctous. The high quality of the chocolate came through immediately and elevated the dish. The sprinkling of cranberry added the necessary bitterness for balance.

We also tried the locally inspired Ondeh Ondeh with kaya ice cream, coconut espuma and gula melaka sauce. This dish encompassed all my favourite Southeast Asian dessert flavours, from the syrupy gula melaka, to the coconut flavours in the ondeh ondeh. I could have easily devoured another portion of this!

Both desserts were paired with a Muscato, which added this lovely meal on a sweet note.

Botanico also serves brunch from a comprehensive menu, and they have special menus for a host of different events, including Valentine’s Day.

Overall:

Our 6-course menu felt like a whistle-stop tour of the restaurant’s best dishes - particularly as the service was so quick we sometimes felt rushed. However despite this all the staff members were very friendly and knowledgeable about the food, and the haste probably derived from us having to push back our reservation an hour.

I was really impressed with the flavours in each of the dishes, and often could have done with a bit more on the plate, as the portion sizes for all courses were on the small side. This is also a sign of how much I enjoyed the food!

What stood out to me was the decor - any restaurant filled with twinkling fairy lights that is nestled in a tropical forest it always going to create a sense of delight.

I will be back to sample the a la carte menu, and their garden inspired cocktails which look immensely tempting.