Review: Christmas at The Botanist on Ipswich Cornhill

Even though Ipswich town centre may seem very quiet at times, I am not surprised that a restaurant located in the heart of Cornhill is usually very busy, thanks to its absolutely delicious dishes.  

My partner Michael and I were very excited to try the Christmas menu at The Botanist, and the venue did not disappoint us.  

The Botanist’s festive dinner experience is available to try until December 24. If you are interested, I advise booking your table as soon as possible.  

The Christmas menu costs £27.95 for two courses or £34.95 for three and includes a glass of prosecco or a non-alcoholic alternative.  

We tried the Christmas menu at The Botanist, Michael Marron (Image: Michael Marron)

While booking a table for us, I was asked to choose dishes we would like to try. To be honest, I wanted to try everything!

Ordering our dishes in advance meant that we did not have to wait at all for them to be served to us.  

Let’s start from the beginning. The staff welcomed us with big smiles on their faces and understood that we were a bit late.  

Our waitress, Gemma, showed us to our table, where we found festive crowns and ‘would you rather’ cards. It was such a nice welcome gift!  

Festive crowns and ‘would you rather’ cards were waiting for us!, Aleksandra Cupriak (Image: Aleksandra Cupriak)

We got our prosecco straight away and were asked if we would like to order some additional drinks. Michael went for a pint of Guinness, and I chose a rhubarb and sage spritz. I loved every sip of this cocktail!  

We only had a chance to answer two or three ‘would you rather’ questions as our starters had already arrived.  

Our Christmas experience at The Botanist, Aleksandra Cupriak (Image: Aleksandra Cupriak)

I got a sweet potato and goats cheese tart with a roast beetroot and pear salad, while Michael went for a chicken liver and brandy pâté with spiced red onion marmalade and toasted sourdough.  

My starter: sweet potato and goat’s cheese tart with a roast beetroot and pear salad, Aleksandra Cupriak (Image: Aleksandra Cupriak)

The shortbread tart was delicious and I fully recommend this vegetarian starter option. However, there are no words to describe how amazing the pâté was. Believe me!  

The portion was very generous and had so many different flavours to it. Simply put, it was a masterpiece.  

We loved the chicken liver and brandy pâté with spiced red onion marmalade and toasted sourdough, Michael Marron (Image: Michael Marron)

The waitress who served us was very attentive. She made sure many times that we had everything we needed. 

We did not have to wait long at all for our mains, which were grilled seabass on a romesco sauce with roasted new potatoes, tomatoes, and chicory leaves for me and ribeye steak with wild mushroom stroganoff sauce, watercress, and chunky chips for Michael.  

My main: grilled seabass on a romesco sauce with roasted new potatoes, tomatoes, and chicory leaves, Aleksandra Cupriak (Image: Aleksandra Cupriak)

My fish was soft and juicy. The potatoes were very well seasoned.  

Michael said that his medium-rare steak was a bit “ropey”. However, I loved the wild mushroom stroganoff sauce and stole it from Michael's plate. It tasted very good with my fish.   

The chips were also amazing; I would say there was a sprinkling of sage on them. Michael said it was rosemary. Either way, they were delicious.  

Michael's main: ribeye steak with wild mushroom stroganoff sauce, watercress, and chunky chips, Aleksandra Cupriak (Image: Aleksandra Cupriak)

When we thought we did not have any more space in our stomachs, the desserts arrived.  

I pre-ordered cookie dough pie with vanilla ice cream and biscoff sauce for me and sticky toffee pudding with vanilla ice cream and toffee sauce for Michael.  

Cookie dough pie with vanilla ice cream and biscoff sauce and my cocktail, Aleksandra Cupriak (Image: Aleksandra Cupriak)

Both desserts were yummy. My pie was a bit too sweet for me, but Michael’s sticky toffee pudding was on point. They were both very filling as well.  

We absolutely loved this experience, and left the restaurant full and very content. If you have a chance, definitely give The Botanist's Christmas menu a try.   

Sticky toffee pudding with vanilla ice cream, Aleksandra Cupriak (Image: Aleksandra Cupriak)

Altogether, we paid £110,66 for our festive dinner.  

Dates between 7-10 and 14-24 of December are counted as ‘peak dates’, which means a £5 per person surcharge applies. The Botanist also adds a 10% service charge to your bill.  

Our food reviews are always independent. They are the opinion of the reviewer based on their experience of the venue when they visited.

The establishment is not aware of our visit, is not informed we intend to write a review and bills are paid by the reviewer.  The choice of places reviewed is also independent and is not based on venues which do or do not advertise in our publications.