The newly opened cafe, Bee’s Knees Botanic Gardens, is housed on the ground floor of a small building called The Garage. A more formal restaurant, Botanico at the Garage, lives upstairs. The Garage’s location may be quite hard to find for those who are not familiar with the layout of the sprawling Singapore Botanic Gardens. It is located right at the end near Bukit Timah Road. Those driving should enter by the Cluny Road Gate. This Garage building looks like it was part of the old University of Singapore Bukit Timah Campus.
On the way to Bee’s Knees Botanic Gardens, we were reminded that these gardens had been awarded UNESCO World Heritage status.
At the time of writing, Bee’s Knees at the Garage opens from 10 am to 6 pm and its more serious sibling, Botanico is only open for dinner from 6 pm onwards.
Bee’s Knees is a semi-self service restaurant. We placed our order at the narrow service window and the food was served to us. There is a choice of air-conditioned indoor seating and alfresco. If the weather is good, the outdoor space is more attractive. The indoor area is quite dark and small.
The range of food currently served at Bee’s Knees Botanic Gardens is limited, basically pizza, pasta, sandwiches and some desserts. Here are pictures of some pages from the menu.
Bee’s Knees Botanic Gardens Menu
We tried a couple of pasta dishes – beef cheek Bolognese and lamb ragout ($16 each). The prices include GST and there is no service charge, which is a good thing as there is no plus-plus add-on to the final bill.
The beef cheek Bolognese was prepared with pappardelle pasta. We liked the texture of the pasta – slightly springy and chewy. We think big thick types of pasta are suitable to go with heavy sauces like this beef Bolognese. The beef had a good robust beefy taste, but was a tad too salty.
The lamb ragout was served with a thinner tagliatelle pasta. The lamb sauce was less viscous but there was a strong gamey taste. Those who like their lamb with the distinct meaty taste will like this. For us, we preferred lamb with a gentler taste. Like the beef sauce, the lamb ragout was also quite salty.
Overall, Bee’s Knees at the Garage is generally a pleasant space. The area around the order window is a bit congested and queuing up in the open to order and pay may not be most appealing especially for the tired and hungry who have just done a walk around the Gardens. The best time to be here is be seated outdoors around late afternoon. That is when the trees and building cast long shadows over the area and diners can enjoy a view of the nearby Foliage Garden.
Ratings:
Food: 3
Service: 3
Value: 3
Atmosphere: 3
Overall Rating: 3 TOPs 
Bee’s Knees at the Garage
50 Cluny Park Road, Cluny Park Gate
Singapore Botanic Gardens
Singapore 257488
Tel: +65 9831 1106
Opening Hours: 8 am – 10 pm
The Ordinary Patrons | Real Dining Experience of Ordinary People
an independent Singapore food blog
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THE FOOD IS MEDIOCRE. We ordered two items one was a chicken focaccia – the presentation was bad and it was like a tiny finger food wrapped in a little brown paper with tiny bits of chips. The Lamb Ragout was the other – it didn’t look appetising it was placed in a white bowl – – a little boy could made a better presentation!!!
The waiters don’t even know what we ordered when asked what he was bringing to our table!
LONG QUEUE to order at one sole counter for food.
I will never go back there again!