Botanica+Co Bamboo Hills – Highlighting Food With Bolder And Smokier Flavours [Review]
Botanica+Co at Bamboo Hills, Segambut, will serve as its flagship restaurant with an updated menu focusing on authentic flavours.
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Botanica+Co has opened its third and flagship branch in Bamboo Hills, Segambut. The new branch is its largest outlet to date and it fits a private dining room and an event space too!
Nestled within a lush greenery landscape, the flagship branch has plenty of outdoor seating and a cosy outdoor bar, perfect for parties and gatherings.
To go with the grown-up look, the menu is also updated with an array of delicious food focused on smoky char and fragrant heat to honour the ingredients in their most authentic flavours.
The taste test
We were welcomed with a refreshing welcome drink, the Fumaso Fizz, on a warm and sunny day. The sweet drink has a little tinge of sourness as it’s made using preserved lemons and raw sugar, and garnished with sage leaves.
While waiting for the wood-fired pizza to be ready, we munched on three lovely appetizers while taking in our new surroundings.
The first appetizer was the Panzanella, a salad made using a seasonal medley of tomato, burrata, red wine vinaigrette, cucumber, roasted bell peppers and herb croutons. The tomatoes in the salad were juicy while the burrata cheese balances out the flavours.
This was followed by the Rosemary Focaccia which comes with three spreads: balsamic dip, basil pesto, and tomato salsa for a slightly spicy kick. Among the three dips, I really liked the basil pesto but those who want something with spice will appreciate the tomato salsa.
The large Char-Grilled Hokkaido Scallop was nestled on a bed of Montpellier butter and carrot puree on an actual scallop shell. The sweetness from the carrot puree paired well with the smoky flavour of the scallop.
The Roasted Cauliflower pizza was a surprise because no one would have expected the ‘star’ ingredient to be a vegetable.
As it turns out, the roasted tangy cauliflower added a unique, buttery flavour to the tomato and cheese pizza.
For the pasta, we tried the Beef Cheek Conchiglie Rigate and Pink Rigatoni. Of the two, I much preferred Pink Rigatoni. It’s delicious pasta mixed with chicken slices, green peas, alfredo marina sauce and parmigiano.
The Beef Cheek Conchiglie Rigate was a tad bit salty for me. Aside from that, the braised beef was tender and it still makes a hearty meal.
For the mains, we had a go at the Pineapple-Fed Chicken and Butterflied Barramundi.
The Pineapple-Fed Chicken is a half-roast organic kampung chicken that’s sweetened by a diet of pineapple and grains, resulting in a slightly sweet taste to the meat. It’s further flavoured with a house-made rub and served with rosemary and rich porcini jus.
The Butterflied Barramundi is a whole-grilled barramundi served with citrus pesto on one-half of the fish and spiced adobo on the other, basically perfect for a group with varied tastes to share at a table.
The citrus pesto gives a tangy flavour while the spiced adobo adds some spicy hint to the dish. In the end, we mixed the remaining fish meat and the sauces together to have the best of both worlds.
We also got to try some side dishes such as the mushrooms (which were so fragrant!) and char-grilled broccolini. The buttered broccolini was mixed with parmigiano and lemon with a little spice from the chilli oil.
No meal is truly complete without desserts so we had panna cotta, an 8-layer chocolate cake, and a salted caramel tart.
The panna cotta is made with white chocolate, strawberry compote, olive oil and thyme. The strawberry bits added a bit of tartness to the smooth and refreshing dessert.
The 8-layer chocolate cake got its name because it’s literally composed of 8 layers of Guanaja chocolate mousse and 8 layers of sponge cake. Despite the many layers, the taste of chocolate wasn’t too heavy and its sweetness was rightly balanced.
The salted caramel tart was served with a beautiful helping of mascarpone cream. The taste of the salted caramel wasn’t overly sweet. If you need it sweeter, you can spread on more mascarpone cream.
We also got to try another refreshing and delicious beverage at the end of the meal. The Taro Almond Milkshake is like enjoying a slice of cake in a glass.
Maybe it was because it was made out of taro ice cream, almonds, cheesecake, and almond milk. The drink tasted like a vanilla milkshake with a nutty flavour to me.
The Verdict
The food and drinks are delicious. Some of our favourites are the Fumaso Fizz, Rosemary Focaccia, the chargrilled scallops, roasted cauliflower pizza, the chargrilled broccolini, Pink Rigatoni, and the Butterflied Barramundi.
For desserts, we love the salted caramel tart and recommend the Taro Almond Milkshake for something out of the ordinary.
Having been to the branches in Bangsar South and Alila, the flagship restaurant is certainly an upgrade with bigger spaces.
While it might be out of the way for some people, Botanica+Co Bamboo Hills is a great place for celebrations such as birthdays and anniversaries.
Botanica+Co Bamboo Hills
Address: P-09, Taman Bukit Bambu Off, Lebuhraya Duta – Ulu Kelang, Taman Bamboo, 51200 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur.
Operation Hours:
Closed every Monday. Reservations are highly encouraged.
Lunch :
Tuesday to Friday : 12pm – 4pm
Saturday to Sunday : 12pm – 6pm
Dinner :
Tuesday to Sunday : 6pm – 10pm
Kitchen Last Call : 9.30pm
For reservations: https://letsumai.com/widget/botanica-co-bamboo-hills
Website: Botanica+Co Bamboo Hills
Contact: +60 17 659 1838 | inquiry@botanica.com.my
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