Restaurant Review: The Botanist brings both style & substance to Sheffield

IF like me when you think of a chain restaurant it conjures images of bright, claustrophobic spaces with a distinct lack of personality, serving cheap yet fulfilling meals, then prepare to reassess your stereotypes.

Though I’ve not yet ventured to the other nine Botanist restaurants across the UK, the lasting impression of the new Sheffield site has left me with a burning desire to have that same experience again, wherever it may be.

Walking into Leopold Square’s grade II-listed building, it’s clear that the unique authenticity of The Botanist brand has been continued in its Sheffield venue.

From top to bottom, the restaurant is covered in leafy green foliage, decorated with arches made from gnarled trees and adorned with rustic furniture.

Set on three floors in the heart of Sheffield’s popular dining quarter, The Botanist pub and restaurant offers three bar areas and a restaurant on the top floor which is duly entitled, the Butterfly Emporium.

With twinkling fairy lights twisting around trees, wire butterflies suspended in the air and old-fashioned lanterns decorating the venue’s bandstand, the restaurant is a social hub with an air of romance.

Once I had finished admiring the beauty of the restaurant itself, my thoughts turned to the menu. The attentive and personable waiter was kind enough to offer recommendations to suit our tastes, first suggesting the green olives and pork crackling to nibble on.

The crunchy salt and pepper crackling came with a heavy sprinkling of spring onion and chillies, as well as a miniature wheelbarrow full of sweet apple sauce.

It is this attention to detail throughout every aspect of the Botanist’s branding that gives the restaurant the intimate feeling of an independent, setting it apart from traditional chains.

The taste of these appetisers then readied our expectations for the fresh, quality meal that followed.

Whilst sipping on fruity cocktails, the wide range of starters became apparent, with everything from gambas pill pill and crispy calamari to baked camembert and sesame coated falafel on the menu.

I opted for the curried mussels, which had a slight kick within its Thai-style broth and were large enough to either be eaten as a main meal or shared between two people. Warm, freshly baked bread ideal for dipping in the vast flavoursome liquid was also served with the mussels.

After the delicious starter, I had the special of the day which was a tender, moist, fall-off-the-bone lamb shank surrounded by creamy mash and gravy. However, the lamb and mash potato seemed to be drowning in a sea of gravy.

By this point we were filling up fast, but you can’t forget the pudding, especially when the selection is as appetising as The Botanist’s dessert menu. And though the baked cookie dough, sticky toffee pudding, and white chocolate and peanut butter moose dishes were tempting, I couldn’t resist the rich allure of the fudge cake served with vanilla ice cream.

Just as you would expect, it was hot with a sifting of icing sugar and ice cream dripping down into a puddle of sickly melted chocolate. The venues only downfall was the lack of a functioning lift to reach the upper floor and restaurant.

The evening came to around £170 for the four of us which is reasonable given that we had four superb courses and four drinks each.

The Botanist, Sheffield rating: 9/10