Stepping inside The Botanist Farnham I was immediately drawn to its retro steampunk meets shabby chic interior. The friendly staff welcomed us and found a table upstairs where we could park our buggy without obstructing everyone. The victorian theme continued with quirky hurricane lanterns, vaulted ceilings, comfortable leather seats and a beautiful open fireplace. Placing Sophie the Giraffe safely onto the table I settled our ten month old Alice into the high chair that was brought to us by a very attentive staff member.

As you might expect from an establishment called The Botanist the cocktail list was extensive, highlighting the delicate subtle flavours that the best of British herbs are able to give. I tried Passionfruit and Basil Crunch which was absolutely delicious.  Disaronno, and Drambuie are mixed by the bartender with basil, fresh passion fruit syrup, orange juice and lime. The flavour pairing of passionfruit and basil is one that I hadn’t considered before and would like to explore further in my own cooking. With long and short, martini and gin, all combined with fresh fruit and herbs there is a cocktail to please everyone on their list.

Beer drinkers are in for a treat too. They have over 50 ales to try! Suffice to say husband was happy! They’ve really gone to town, printing a beautiful little Anthology of Ales booklet, with tasting notes for each beer to help you choose. In addition to having lots of choice, they’ve worked with two craft brewers to develop their own pale ale and lager which is exclusive to their restaurants. The other half tried their pale ale and gave it the thumbs up.

The food menu is eclectic from traditional pub classics such as Fish and Chips and Gamon cutlet to Deli, Rotisserie and BBQ inspired food. To start I tried the Baked Camembert with fruit and flatbread bread which was warm and comforting on such a cold evening. For main course I chose the lamb tagine with pearl cous cous which was perfectly seasoned with flavours of cinnamon, saffron, coriander, cumin and paprika to bring out the best of this one pot dish. I was also able to sample my husband’s Malaysian chicken curry served with basmati rice (before he scoffed it all down!). It was wonderfully aromatic with herbs, spice and tanginess.

For dessert I had strawberry and marshmallow kebab with Sailor Jerry chocolate sauce and vanilla ice cream. It was a dessert I will never forget because it was the moment our daughter Alice got to try ice cream for the first time. You couldn’t argue with the smile plastered across her face or the little wriggle of approval she did (:

The Botanist is dog friendly as well as child friendly, a unique selling point that I’m sure will be welcomed by the residents of Farnham.

From the beginning of March 2016, the Botanist will host daily energetic evening gigs and lazy Sunday afternoon sessions; with acoustic acts on guitar, piano and vocal. The restaurant in Farnham is worth a visit just to see the stunning vintage upright piano with candlestick holders located on the ground floor.

 

Craig Stuart was playing the night we were there. He did a fantastic set and despite claiming to have a cold, sounded great! He created a really good atmosphere for the place.

The cowboy style bar that you could really sling a cocktail along, is another great reason to get yourself down to there. Just make sure you catch your cocktail if someone does sling it down to you, it would be a terrible shame to waste it!

 

Arriving just in time for spring I’m sure The Botanist will have much success as a vibrant destination for not only cocktail and foodie lovers but music lovers too.

As part of their opening offer, they’re offering 25% off all bills for a limited time. Get the voucher here (www.thebotanist.uk.com/farnhamwelcomelink). (SurreyK receives no commission or other form of payment for people using this coupon).