Hey Sweeties,
A couple of weeks ago I attended a pre-launch evening at Reading’s newest restaurant, The Botanist, located on King Street.
The Botanist, a concept like no other, offers an award-winning selection of botanical inspired cocktails, craft beers and ales along with an extensive dining menu.
The Botanist offers over 80 different beers and ales from around the world. The pub chain even brews two of their own ales, Passionate Blonde and Pacific Pale Ale.
My husband and I were a tad early for our dinner reservation, which was no bad thing as it allowed us to head to the bar and try out some of the extensive cocktail menu. I had happened to have a bit of a stressful day at work and even though part of me wanted to curl up at home and feel sorry for myself, an evening out at The Botanist Reading proved a great distraction.
Cocktails
As I was the designated driver for the evening (earnt some top wife points), I could only try one alcoholic cocktail before switching to the alcohol-free options. The menu of options was endless and if you are a gin lover then The Botanist (Reading) is definitely somewhere you need to spend an evening. As it turns out, I am not hugely into gin but I adore a Mojito and The Botanist Reading offers three versions, I decided to try the Plum and Thai Basil Mojito (seen below on the left) and I can report it was delicious.
From the alcohol-free menu I had the Berry Good Times cocktail –Fresh blueberries, blackberries, mint and a touch of raspberry syrup. Shaken with apple and cranberry juice, garnished with a sprig of mint for the fresh forest berry look. What I liked about this drink particularly was that it looked like a normal alcoholic cocktail, so it still maintained a fun and inviting appearance.
Starter
When I go out to dinner, I usually have a main and pudding; I do not often have a starter. However, I wanted to try the new menu, so I ordered the Sesame Coated Falafel.
Main Course
While the vegetarian menu was not large, it was extremely refreshing to see I did not have to choose between a simple tomato pasta and mushroom risotto. Instead, for the first time (dare I say ever) I could have a pie! The Butternut Squash, Goat’s Cheese and Mushroom Pie was something different and very tasty, I would definitely order again.
Dessert
I was a little disappointed to not see a type of crumble on offer on the dessert menu, as I love an apple crumble and I thought The Botanist Reading would spin up their own version. But that’s not really a criticism. Instead, I went for the Warm Chocolate Fudge Cake with vanilla ice cream which was tasty, but a little too rich after a big meal. My husband on the other hand, had the Baked Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough and that was stunning –definitely go for this when you go there. Definitely.
We finished off our meal with a pot of tea each.
All in all, it was a fantastic laid back evening; the service was excellent, the food was delicious and we would definitely go back. A big thank you to The Botanist Reading for inviting me!
Have you guys ever tried The Botanist?
Until next time x
