There’s been a lot of movement in the Botanic Garden gastronomic scene. First there was the shocked sadness of Justin James announcing his departure from Restaurant Botanic, and then the excitement when Jamie Musgrave was named as his successor. Now the Garden is aflutter once again with the news that Tom Tilbury (Gather, Aces, Press) is opening The Botanic Lodge, an all-day diner in the lakefront kiosk adjacent to Restaurant Botanic.
For Tilbury, it’s a homecoming. “I’ve been coming to the Garden my whole life,” he told Broadsheet. “The little kiosk where The Lodge is now was where I first tried a Golden Gaytime… Even Restaurant Botanic, I went for lunch there for my grandmother’s birthday when I was eight or nine and that meal was what inspired me to get into hospitality. That little pocket [of the Botanic Garden] really feels like home to me.”
On the menu is the wholesome and approachable style of food that’s been synonymous with Tilbury since his time at Gather. Driving the menu is a “sense of place” and Tilbury’s commitment to showcasing the micro-seasonality and native ingredients of the Garden.
“I think what Restaurant Botanic has done so well so far – and what Jamie is looking to continue – is really showcase the Garden and I just want to keep doing that with them,” says Tilbury. “I grew up walking those gardens, but Jamie’s going to take me for a walk and show me everything he knows. I also want to start meeting with the gardeners and figuring out what else I can use from the native ginger, and even the Moreton Bay figs and olive leaves.”
Banishing all thoughts of Botanic’s 30-dish tasting menus, The Botanic Lodge will be the sort of venue where you really choose your own adventure. You can drop in for coffee and cake, champagne and a snack, or settle in for a long lunch.
The day will start with cakes, pastry and snacky bits at midday. There will be individual bites like Gazander oysters with green rhubarb, celery and lardo; larger dishes like mussels with native “curry”, myrtle oil and pops of finger lime; and Nomad Farms’ roast chicken glazed in koji with a lemon thyme and pink peppercorn pan sauce. Tilbury winks at other shared mains like whole butterflied fish, veggies from Ngeringa Farm and nostalgia-fuelled dishes like a restaurant-quality take on the Golden Gaytime he ordered at the kiosk as a kid.
The wine list was put together by Restaurant Botanic’s sommelier Elle Foster, and sharing a cellar with the fine diner will allow drinkers at The Lodge to taste some high-end drops.
The bright and airy fit-out will seat 50 indoors with another 80 or so seats dotted outside along the lakefront. There’s a marble bench in the centre of the open kitchen and a woodfired hearth. Crockery is solidly South Australian with steak knives from Dog Boy and ceramics from Guy Ringwood.
The opening is set to be one of the most highly anticipated of the year. “I mean a restaurant overlooking a lake in the middle of the city? You don’t get that just anywhere,” says Tilbury.
The Botanic Lodge (Main Lane, Adelaide Botanic Gardens, Plane Tree Drive, Adelaide) is expected to open in early September.
