Previously located at Singapore Botanic Gardens, Botanico has since shifted but its monicker still remains as apt as ever; While no longer within the sprawling nature attraction, it has recently made its home in another colonial bungalow at Seletar Aerospace Park, and is similarly surrounded by verdant greenery. In fact, the restaurant has now levelled up with its very own edible garden, with fresh herbs and vegetables used to garnish their dishes and cocktails.
Botanico is parked on the second floor of The Summerhouse, and this space is split into two zones, both of which are air-conditioned and draped with lush botanical decor. We recommend booking a window seat at the outer deck for the views, lit up by fairy lights that will add an extra romantic touch to your date night.
With Botanico’s gorgeous new locale comes an all-new menu too. Instead of serving its previous line-up of European dishes, it now serves an innovative spread of modern Asian fusion cuisine, incorporating flavours of Singapore as well as other countries in the region.
An easy favourite at the table was Botanico’s Iberico pork rib ($36). Painstakingly slow-cooked for 12 hours, these ribs are fall-off-the-bone tender and come drizzled in a thin and runny yet flavourful sauce that bears that unmistakable peppery taste of bak kut teh.
Another dish for meat-lovers to try is the wagyu bun ($45), where a sizzling plate of Japanese beef in bulgogi sauce is served with mantou, along with perilla leaves and pickled radish on the side. A word of warning: this packs a spicy punch even with the mantou, so it’s not for the faint-of-tongue. But if you can handle the heat, it’s an addictive pick that’ll have you yearning for more.
Need to quell the flames? Down a bowl of cold noodles ($15) in refreshing dashi tsuyu, topped with king oyster mushrooms and thinly sliced Korean pear. Lime slices add a bit of zing to the whole mix. You get half a hard-boiled egg for protein in this vegetarian-friendly dish, though surely it wouldn’t hurt if diners were to be given the entire egg instead.
For dessert, there’s min jiang kueh ($18) – but don’t expect a peanut pancake to show up at your table. Instead, this is two slabs of peanut ice cream sandwiched between wafer slices and corn sponge, decorated with a sprinkling of edible flowers as a finishing touch. There’s also no going wrong with ondeh ondeh ($16) – not glutinous rice balls, but a parfait inspired by the local dessert. This is a delicious glass of kaya ice cream topped with pandan sponge, coconut foam, and gula melaka.
If you’re here on a weekend morning and are looking for something brunchy, go for the foie gras kaya toast ($12), a levelled-up version of our classic Singaporean breakfast. The foie gras is blended smoothly into the house-made kaya, creating a richer version of the egg-based spread, and goes perfectly with the butter and charred brioche.
Find out more about Botanico at The Summerhouse here.