Botanica Vaucluse opens in Sydney
The Botanica Vaucluse, a trifecta of restaurant, cafe, and spa designed around farm-to-fork dishes, is opening right near all the mansions in the area.
Run by executive chef Perry Hill, who takes the food from the kitchen garden or from Jamberoo Valley Farm, a 65-acre property that sits two hours south of Sydney in the Kiama Hinterlands, the focus at the Botanica is on local growers and seasonal ingredients.
As a result, there will be three or four ingredients on a plate that represent the season’s picks.
Examples of what’s on offer will include dishes like the Red Gate Farm quail, accompanied by toasted almonds, figs and baby gem lettuce.
The wine list will be natural and the wines on offer will come from across Australia. The gin is made in-house, and the cocktails are made from garden ingredients. So there will be Lemon Myrtle Gimlet coming with Coopers Gin and house-made lemon-myrtle syrup. The Garden Grove Spritz is mix of Maidenii Dry Vermouth, elderflower, Bress sparkling, cucumber, garden mint and frozen grapes.
Hill has been in the industry for 25 years and has worked at such restaurants sas Sydney's renowned MG Garage (long closed) and London's influential The River Cafe, among others.
The restaurant is well positioned, sitting among a collection of herbs, citrus trees and strawberry bushes. And the interiors are appropriately designed with succulents, greenery and a plethora of pink.
“We’re responding to the seasons in a really immediate and natural way,” Hill told delicious. “We’re not overthinking or complicating things.”
The location is critical with neighbouring places including Sol Spa, where treatments centre around wellbeing. The Sol spa will be set within the gardens offering visitors treatment, including massages, facials and scrubs.
And in July, Valley Farm Café will be opening and it will offer farm fresh produce, eggs, vegetables and artisanal products from Jamberoo Valley Farm available for purchase. It will be a more casual offering
Leon Getler 4th May 2018.
