Last week I had the pleasure of experiencing service at 'The Botanist', a beautifully decorated and naturally green restaurant, in Newcastle's city centre. As it is my home for the next few years, I thought it would be an excellent idea to indulge in Newcastle's Restaurant Week where you can get a two course meal at selected restaurants for just a tenner, excellent if you're destined to be a poor student like me. When my fantastic university friends decided to arrange a get together we all thought that, as the hungry little foodies we are, this would be the way to go as we try to get to know each other better.
The Botanist is situated just behind Jamie's Italian and next to Waterstones- right by the Monument in the heart of Newcastle. After ascending a mighty flight of stairs (take the lift is my advice, we didn't notice it until we were heading back down) we entered what is possibly the most beautiful restaurant I have ever seen. The roof resembles that of a greenhouse, like you would see at the Eden project. As a result it allows in natural light which gives the place an earthly ambiance, less artificial and more natural. The bar is situated just in front of the entrance and is quite rustic which gives the restaurant even more charm. I must quickly mention the chandelier hanging just in front of the door, made up of various coloured bottles dangling at different levels- it certainly made for fantastic Instagram shots for the girls.
We were greeted and led to our table and tended to by our waitress, I believe she was called Chelsi. I highly recommend saving your pennies before you head to the Botanist, although we were buying off the Restaurant Week menu this does not save you money on the cocktails and, as a result, I didn't venture into the territory of the quirky and most impressive cocktails. I instead got my usual glass of rosé wine, sometimes it's good to play it safe. My friend Samantha ordered a lovely cocktail that came in a jar, I saw other cocktails at the tables next to us that even produced smoke!
The Restaurant Week menu was limited which is completely understandable seeing as it is an offer. We opted for a main and a dessert for £10 as none of the starters really floated our boat (not the usual Newcastle student hummus lovers.) If you're local to Newcastle you may be surprised when you order the 'hanging kebab' to find it isn't like your greasy hangover cure. In fact their famous hanging kebabs come served, hanging of course, above a bowl of your choice of side and the waitress will even tip the garlic butter so that it cascades down the kebab, nice little bit of a show at the table. We all went for the halloumi and sesame falafel and by god was it gorgeous (halloumi is my weakness.)
After a good natter we proceeded to get dessert. The success of the first hanging kebab kept me confident that my dessert, a strawberry and marshmallow hanging kebab, would be a treat. Indeed it was, the garlic butter now replaced with a sweet dripping chocolate sauce and the side with a refreshing ice cream. Me and Sarah went for this deliciously obvious choice while Samantha and Samera opted for the baked chocolate chip cookie dough- which also looked very good!
I cannot fault the service we experienced and the restaurant itself is a delight to sit in, I'd certainly love to come back on an evening and see how it looks in the moonlight. I'd highly recommend a visit with or without the Restaurant Week offer, although when it rolls around again I will be the first person to set foot in the door to this paradise.
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