The Botanist

Deansgate, Manchester

The Botanist is a ‘horticultural hideaway’ neatly packed in among the hustle and bustle of Deansgate, one of Manchester city centre’s busiest streets and a hubbub of both nightlife and daytime drinking.

This ‘secret garden’ garden themed restaurant is deliciously quaint and primitive, with pastoral decor, rustic wooden tables and chairs and antiques hanging from the walls. Popping in for a bite to eat after watching the superb Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again, the white washed walls and duck egg blue colour scheme was a serendipitous continuation of the party atmosphere in the Greek taverna. 

There’s a cosy, indoor conservatory housing the restaurant, separating it from the main ‘garden’, which is ten-deep at the bar on this particular Saturday teatime. There are probably only about a dozen tables and we were lucky enough to grab the last available one, although there’s a pretty fast turnaround as people disappear into the bar to sink a few cocktails after lining their stomachs.

The Botanist has a varied menu, with something to suit all tastes and occasions: bar nibbles, sharing deli boards, salads, pies, burgers, steaks and the hanging kebabs for which they are possibly the most well-known.

Although we skipped starters, there are plenty of options which I like the sound of, including the Cumberland scotch egg, curried houmous and creamy garlic mushrooms.

Although the hanging kebabs are beautifully presented and always look impressive, a plateful of dry meat just doesn’t appeal to me. Without sauce for pouring over the components, or at least for dipping, the mastication becomes a bit of a chore. 

Falafel & Halloumi Hanging Kebab

Instead, I opted for the flat iron steak sandwich. I was asked whether I’d prefer the steak ‘cooked through’ or ‘medium’, which is unusual when it’s being served up on a sandwich, so I was grateful for the choice.

I’m not a massive steak eater so I don’t have an overwhelming preference, but I chose medium. It was rather pink, not what I’d call medium, but I’m no expert. The colour was irrelevant, as it was deliciously juicy and wasn’t tough or chewy, which I’ve often found makes a steak sandwich difficult to eat.

It was complimented by whipped garlic goats cheese, fried onion and salad, all served on a ciabatta bun, making for a very tasty bite. The whipped garlic goats cheese was an innovative idea, adding flavour and moisture to the sandwich without being overpowering. It was accompanied by ‘properly seasoned chips’, which lived up to their description, and rotisserie gravy for dipping. Who doesn’t love gravy? I didn’t leave a drop.

Flat Iron Steak Sandwich with Rotisserie Gravy

There was an interesting selection of desserts, including peanut and chocolate brownie cake, homemade banana doughnuts with a peanut milkshake and a chocolate and pineapple pot. For me, it had to be the chocolate chip cookie dough, baked to order in a rustic ceramic pan and served up with a dollop of salted caramel ice cream, drizzled in toffee sauce. It was gooey and tasty; the ice cream cutting through the stickiness, but it wasn’t the best cookie dough I’ve ever had. The top was nice and crispy but underneath it was a little bit spongy, lacking in crunch.

Baked Cookie Dough with Salted Caramel Ice Cream

When we were ready to the pay the bill at 18:30 on Saturday evening, for most, the night was in its infancy. The Botanist already had a real party vibe going on, with a brilliant selection of toe-tapping tunes blasting out on the other side of the glass as we sat in the orangery.

You could really make a night of it at The Botanist, for it has it all: food, cocktails and the soundtrack. The food was nothing extraordinary, but was very nice all the same, and I couldn’t fault the service.

The Botanist is ideal for cocktails and quality comfort food.

View the menu online: http://thebotanist.uk.com/