Browns (Richmond) review by Steve Moore
I always tried to avoid this place when it was Browns, preferring to spend my time away from chain restaurants wherever possible.
The Botanist on the Green has been open a few months now and being local to the area I was starting to feel a little guilty that I had not yet paid a visit, not least because whenever I drive past it always looks empty, and felt it might be in need of some support!
The place is decorated nicely enough, but that is about the only good thing to say about the place. The atmosphere is non existent (even on a Saturday night!), the menu looks interesting at first glance, but study further and it really isn't. I went for the seared Bison, which was well cooked, albeit from a sub standard cut of meat (previously frozen perhaps?) this was served with a potato rosti, which was burnt to a crisp and a mushy vegetable thing, (I did my best to forget the name, in case I reminded myself of it later) again burnt on the outside, but this time barely warm in the middle.
I mentioned my disappointment to the waitress, who responded with no more than an "Oh" and walked off, never to be seen again. Even when I wanted to pay I had to walk around the place to find anyone who looked like they might work there.
My Wife didn't have much more success, with the obligatory vegetarian option stretching no further than an uninspiring Risotto, she went for a mixed Meze starter, which we wanted as a main unfortunately they didn’t manage to understand this and brought over bits if it when it seemed to suit them.
My guilt for not visiting a local restaurant sooner is now a distant memory, no wonder it always looks empty, poor beyond belief! There are roughly a dozen other places to eat within a 5-10 min walk, each of them with great deal more to offer than this.
Monday, January 15, 2007
Overall rating 
Food 1 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 2 | Value for money 1
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