The Most Popular Botanist in Town
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My friend and I decided to meet for dinner at the somewhat-new Botanist in Sloane Square, where she had eaten (happily) before. But we were both shocked at the extent of the scene that spilled onto the pavement. Was it the weather? Or was it just the new place to be?
We were seated inside, where the breeze delivered a steady stream of second-hand smoke. "Is this going to bother you?" I asked my friend.
"No," she replied. "I've been craving a cigarette for days."
"Great! Maybe this will keep us from actually smoking one." (It did.)
The restaurant filled up with good-looking patrons quite late. But maybe these are well-looked-after, unemployed bankers, able to enjoy the simple menu in the leisurely style to which they've become accustomed. Despite falling into that group, we also loved our food - clear gazpacho and artichoke carpaccio to start, and veal and rib eye for mains. Admittedly the artichoke had a bit too much olive oil on it and the veal was slightly bland next to the flavourful steak, but all in all, the food was well-prepared and the sides of garlic mash, chips and white asparagus were perfect.
We finished our meal with a sundae that could not have been eaten by one, followed by petit fours that were eaten by one (me). While my friend was in the loo, I watched our charming Australian server bring coffees to the obnoxiously loud (and not very good looking) pair to our left. She had been excellent all night long, and clearly didn't find the table bothersome. Working in such a popular place must be fun, especially when the only real complaint is about cigarette smoke, and sometimes isn't a complaint at all.
"No," she replied. "I've been craving a cigarette for days."
"Great! Maybe this will keep us from actually smoking one." (It did.)
The restaurant filled up with good-looking patrons quite late. But maybe these are well-looked-after, unemployed bankers, able to enjoy the simple menu in the leisurely style to which they've become accustomed. Despite falling into that group, we also loved our food - clear gazpacho and artichoke carpaccio to start, and veal and rib eye for mains. Admittedly the artichoke had a bit too much olive oil on it and the veal was slightly bland next to the flavourful steak, but all in all, the food was well-prepared and the sides of garlic mash, chips and white asparagus were perfect.
We finished our meal with a sundae that could not have been eaten by one, followed by petit fours that were eaten by one (me). While my friend was in the loo, I watched our charming Australian server bring coffees to the obnoxiously loud (and not very good looking) pair to our left. She had been excellent all night long, and clearly didn't find the table bothersome. Working in such a popular place must be fun, especially when the only real complaint is about cigarette smoke, and sometimes isn't a complaint at all.
Here Is The Writer : Madame B
Foreign-born Madame B thinks she's a City girl, but mostly just walks our streets checking things out and searching for the best wi-fi hotspots offered by The Cloud. You can spot her typing furiously on her shiny white MacBook, wearing dark sunglasses and drinking a glass of champagne. She's one half of the Shopaholics, which might explain things...
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