The Jolly Botanist (West End)

• Nice quirky bar with exposed stell beams and unfinished brick work
• I had a sauvginon blanc which was nice and well rounded
• At the time all were from the Caledonian Brewery
• The prices are fairly steep at £
• Their cocktail list is also a bit on the pricey side
• Instead you were offered very good food at a reasonable price
• Starters I shared three items of food with another person at the table
• The other two were excellent and came in fairly cheap for the size of portion
• The main course I plumped for was the Pork Belly with Chorizo Mash
• The meat itself was finely cooked
• Perhaps the staff would be best served giving out a steak knife to cut through the pork crackling
• The only downside was the size of the portion of the mashed potato which was laced with chorizo
• The serving staff were also very friendly and happy to help throughout
• The Jolly Botanist is a fine venue
• When we arrived it was virtually empty
• For a Saturday lunchtime was a little worrying
• I was a bit overwhelmed with the amount of pizza bread
• I was not expecting 6 or so pieces which each were at least the size of my hand
• The flavour was good and the bread was soft and tasty
• I tried to scrape off what I could but it made little difference as all I could taste was the perfume of the peppercorns
• She also was a bit annoyed that the vegetables were not far off being cold
• Even when there was no one to serve
• The bar is divided from the restaurant area which is a very good setting in my opinion
• The bar area was very busy when we got there but we booked a table so we seated in the restaurant area straight away
• The gin selection is very good and you can get any gin cocktail you can think of
• I didn't order a starter but the pizza bread my friends had looked very good and it was a very big portion as well
• There was a really great atmosphere it was super busy for early evening on a Thursday
• I'm not a gin expert and I was a little disappointed there wasn't an obvious gin list on view anywhere as I would have liked to peruse at leisure
• I've been to the Jolly Botanist several times as it is quite close to work
• They serve a super collection of gin and gin related cocktails which is right up my street
• The place can get very busy towards the end of the week with office crews conjugating for drinks so it is wise to book a table if you do decide to go there on a Thursday or a Friday
• My favourite though is their chunky chips overpriced for the amount they give you but very tasty
• I've once been there with a colleague who has food allergies and they were very considerate
• I've generally been quite pleased with the service and efficiency
• A good spot for lunch or drinks if you are in the Haymarket area
• Given how busy it was I can see why though
• The selection of gins is definitely good
• Another strange thing is that while the price of the cocktails is indicated on the menu
• When you pay the gin and the tonic are charged separately which is also curious since you are ordering a single "
• It makes unnecessarily complicated to share the bill with your friends
• Hipster hangout with a massive gin selection and pleasing food offerings
• The burger was very well served
• Add something with haggis and a couple of really good
• Preferably) and you have the best welcome to Edimburgh meal you could ask
• Food was very nice and staff really accommodating after we rocked up 13 mins before the kitchen closed with no reservation
• We had the belly pork with black pud mash which was tasty

Read More