Botanic Gardens Restaurant, Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney

Botanic Gardens Restaurant, Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney
Thursday 7 December, 2006

The office Christmas Party! It's that time of year, so approx 45 of us gathered at the base of our building for the 20 minute walk to the Royal Botanic Gardens. Kris Kringle gifts in tow we wandered into these amazing gardens and it struck me....I honestly can't recall the last time I stepped foot in this prime piece of real estate.

Botanic Gardens, as the name suggests, is located in the heart of the Royal Botanic Gardens. This beautiful space occupies 30 hectares and is located around Farm Cove at the edge of Sydney Harbour. Established in 1816, The Royal Botanic Trust is the oldest scientific institution in the country and home to an outstanding collection of plants from Australia and overseas.

We arrived at the restaurant after following the signage through the maze of footpaths and greenery. It's situated amongst tropical rainforest and looks out across the ponds to the Harbour - just lovely. We had been informed that we must be seated by 1.30pm sharp as entrees would be served at 1.45pm. Of course, the entrees didn't arrive at the tables until after 2pm but that's OK as we were more than happy to continue drinking and enjoy the surrounds.

Our menu options were:

Entree: Kingfish carpaccio with beetroot, preserved lemon and hazelnut vinaigrette OR Roast lamb loin with leek, green bean and salsa verde

Main: Pan fried barramundi with olive & tomato salsa and kipler potato OR Grain fed beef tenderloin with carrot puree, potato galette and sauce vierge

Dessert: Dark chocolate brulee with pistachio biscotti OR Almond & pear tart with cinnamon ice cream

I had the Kingfish, Barramundi and the Almond & pear tart. To summarise, everything was very good. The Kingfish was light and combination of beetroot & preserved lemon added a real tang. The Barramundi was huge and was perfectly cooked - it just fell apart. The Almond & pear tart was moist and the cinnamon ice cream was a great compliment.

The atmosphere was excellent - the restaurant opens up to create a large open space. The staff were a little slow at times and it was hard to get your glass topped up at different times but overall it was wonderful venue with great food on offer.

Botanic Gardens Restaurant - Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney - (02) 9241 2419

http://www.trippaswhite.com.au/venue/botanic_gardens