DELIGHTFUL: Since opening its doors for business in June, the 110-seater Botanica + Co in Bangsar South is the latest ‘It’ place in the city, thanks to word of mouth endorsements about its idyllic ambience and good food, writes Suzanna Pillay
IMAGINE an environment similar to Singapore’s Boat Quay right here in Kuala Lumpur, where KLites can unwind and chill after work. It is an idea being considered in the pipeline by new Singaporean-owned restaurant Botanica + Co in Bangsar South.
“We hope to create a CBD (central business district) culture here, where new developments in Bangsar South will have more people working in the area who prefer to chill out after work with drinks and some food, instead of battling the after-office traffic. We just extended our operating hours to 7pm and will be monitoring the situation to see if there is a demand,” says Tay Hui Ying, Botanica + Co’s brand development manager.
Tay says achieving the right ambience is an important consideration in the set-up of the eatery, which offers modern Australian-inspired bistro favourites, including fish and chips, pizzas, and sandwiches made in good portions that everybody from a grown-up to a child enjoys.
Singapore-based interior designers Imajin and landscape architects Salad Dressing pulled out all the stops to create a relaxed and welcome respite from the concrete jungle of Bangsar South, even installing two graceful ficus trees in the centre of the restaurant to create a canopy effect.
“When we rented the place, it was already glass enclosed, so we thought it would be nice to emphasise the natural light with a greenhouse setting that would be reminiscent of dining in a glass conservatory. We want our restaurant to be a place where diners can catch up with friends, chill out or even sit down and have their cup of coffee. We use fresh ingredients for everything, and we make our own bread, sauces, dressings and stock from scratch.”
“We try to bring in Asian ingredients and Asian flavours into our food, too, with some Asian dishes conceived by our head chef, Sam Neoh. Our prices for main dishes range from RM30 to RM38. The eatery has also introduced a brunch menu for the weekends, adding five or six items featuring eggs because people still love to wake up to eggs in the morning.”
A signature dish of the restaurant is Chef Sam’s Crab and Crayfish Laksa (RM36), a rich spicy laksa broth made from a secret recipe topped with crayfish, tiger prawns, quail’s egg and julienned fishcake.
Meanwhile, Botanica’s Spaghettini Carbonara (RM32) with beef bacon and wild mushrooms, served with a poached egg and no cream sauce was a surprise, as was the Duck Rendang (RM35), a confit duck leg served with coconut rice, which was a different twist on the usual chicken rendang. The crunchy Halibut Fish and Chips (RM36) was another winner, with two thick halibut fillets encased by a crispy golden batter served with shoestring fries and tartar sauce.
If the proof of the pudding is in the eating, the sumptuous desserts at Botanica take the cake. The Yuzu pudding (RM16), a light fluffy pudding accompanied by a cheery bright yellow Yuzu-flavoured sauce got my vote, while my colleague enjoyed the Churros Donut Stack (RM19), which was a ring of Churros drizzled with chocolate and caramel sauce containing an ice cream core. The Banoffee Pie with chunks of banana and caramel sauce was equally yummy.
From house-made cocktails in carafes available for sharing in groups, to rich milkshakes and fresh home-made sodas, the drinks menu at Botanica + Co is an exciting one.
Delightfully refreshing with a mix of seasonal fruits and fresh herbs is the Bo Co Cup (RM70), a carafe of three types of Mancino vermouth. Other fruity cocktails to try are the mango-flavoured Alphonso (RM35) and the citrusy Yuzu Mojito (RM33). There’s also an alcoholic rum and raisin milkshake (RM29) for those with a sweet tooth.
Like their sister restaurant Botanica + Co next door, the fare served up at the 58-seater Botanica Deli emphasises quality produce and ingredients, albeit in a more casual environment.
“Botanica Deli basically serves up gourmet, but fuss-free breakfast bowls sandwiches, salads and soups. We wanted it to be more of a takeaway concept. We want to keep both eateries separate because we want each to have their own identity. Here, diners can indulge in a few salad options created by Chef Sam or choose our Bo + Co Salad Bowl (RM19.50), where they can customise their own salad with an unlimited amount of ingredients from our generously stocked Salad Bar, as long as they fit into one serving box. Their selections can be made from five categories — base greens, proteins, carbs, toppings, dressings and boosters — and their chosen mix of ingredients will be then tossed before their very eyes,” says Tay.
From the Botanica Deli menu, Chef Sam’s Armstrong Beef Salad (RM23) just bowled us over with its clever mix of ingredients. Generous slices of roast beef, baby romaine lettuce, candied pecans, blue cheese and crispy onions were served with the Deli’s green goddess dressing of Greek yoghurt, with fresh basil, Italian parsley, spring onion, garlic and lemon that just made the salad sing with flavour.
“The yoghurt dressing helps to balance the intensity of the blue cheese and the sweetness of the candied pecans,” says Chef Sam.
Besides salads, there are a few choices of soups and sandwiches to choose from. Potato fans will love the Deli’s potato soup’s creamy, buttery mashed-potato flavour, but a bit of a disappointment was the beef goulash (RM12), which is based on the recipe provided by an Austrian friend. The tomato based-gravy was nice, but the just meat and potato goulash, which is apparently how it is traditionally made, was just ho-hum. But, there are plenty of other choice dishes
Address: Botanica + Co Restaurant & Bar and Botanica Deli
G3A/G5 Verticals Podium, Bangsar South City, 8 Jalan Kerinchi, 59200, Kuala Lumpur
M: (6016) 965 6422