The Botanist (Closed)

The new Botanist Singapore cafe on Neil Road is an amazing place. It opened two weeks ago in a shophouse which has no obvious signboard. Its entrance is not visible from the main road; diners enter from the quiet alley beside it. Botanist is hard to find even when we tried looking for it. Yet, it was packed when we stopped by for brunch on a weekend.

The wall murals at the side of the building provide some clue that something interesting exists in this building. The indoor dining area of the Botanist Singapore cafe is quite small. A larger outdoor area (shaded but not air-conditioned) is where most of the dining takes place.

Located above the Botanist cafe is Knockhouse Supply Co which supplies coffee and coffee-making equipment.

Here are pictures of the Botanist Singapore food and drink menus.

With a name like “Botanist” we had expected more plants and vegetation at the cafe. There was only a vertical garden and some plants in the outdoor space and the odd cactus on the table. But despite the very basic decor, there was beauty in the utilitarian furnishing and implements at the Botanist.

We had three dishes that day. The corn fritters ($18), baked egg ($19) and French toast ($18).

The corn fritters was the most satisfying dish. The sweet tomato salsa, hummus, guacamole, poached egg and baby spinach provided different combinations of taste to make the corn fritters taste good.

Baked eggs is a dish which we often order at brunch. This one by Botanist Singapore was fine but not great, probably because the meaty taste that we expected from the chorizo bacon and other meat components were not very prominent. The bread was very good.

The French toast was a beauty, both in terms of looks and taste. The many kinds of berries and the poached pear provided sweet fruity highlights to the familiar taste of French toast.

Overall, the Botanist Singapore cafe is a charming place to have a simple meal. The food was generally good and the service by the youthful crew was prompt and courteous. They are in the white shophouse in the picture at the TOP of this post. A small portable sign is displayed near the entrance.