Botany Review: Aesthetic Cafe With Uni Pasta & Impossible Mapo Tofu By Julie Tan At Robertson Quay

Food at Botany First up was the Uni Truffle Capellini ($28+) , a mound of cold rinsed capellini that’s mixed with truffle salsa and topped with copious amounts of uni and salmon roe. This was my favourite dish during my first tasting, and I’m happy to report that it cinched a repeat victory. The soft and cold pasta made an excellent canvas for the wave of oceanic flavours from the roe and uni.

The uni was smooth and creamy, coating the capellini with a layer of brininess. The MVP here were the fresh salmon roes which practically blanketed the dish. Even when the urchin and noodles ran out, there were still loads of roe left on the plate.

Fans of truffle will be glad to know the dish didn’t skimp on it. Even the base of the plate was studded with specks of truffle.

The Avocado Toast with Egg ($18+) is one of Botany’s signatures, and for good reason. The one here excelled in that regard, though I would have preferred if it was more tart.

That being said, the lack of acidity could have been an intentional choice in order to highlight the butteriness of the avocadoes. Even the pomegranate seeds added some depth to the dish with its grittiness and slight sourness.

Vegetarians will be glad to know that there is a wealth of options catered to them here—one of which is the Impossible Mapo Tofu Bowl ($18+) . As its name hints, the dish comprises silken tofu cooked with Sichuan spices and Impossible meat.

Even if the dish’s “la” component was lacking, its “ma” more than made up for it with its intense numbness. Perhaps it’s ‘cause we waited too long to dig in, as the rice was a tad clumpy but nothing the gravy couldn’t fix. Coupled with show tunes playing in the background, all these lent to a luxurious yet relaxing atmosphere that’s wonderful for dates or a night out with the fam’.

It even threw open its doors my colleague’s eyes to the wonders of uni. Its quotation and accessibility might be a turn-off for some but if you’re in the area, it’s definitely a place to fuel up at.