Botanist

Recently I went back to Botanist for the second time after about six years. The duck breast had been a dish I've been thinking about ever since, and I was so excited to see if it was as good as I remembered. Located in the Pacific Rim Fairmont Hotel, Botanist is a beautiful restaurant in a beautiful hotel. From the second you walk in, you get transported to a dimly lit dining room, with modern and sleek architecture and greenery everywhere you look. Although this vibe may be intimidating, the staff from the hosts to the servers are extremely hospitable and kind. When we sat down our server was very friendly and helpful with recommendations and descriptions of anything unclear on the menu. For drinks, I went for the Roji Highball. The drink was good, but not great. There wasn't anything super outstanding about it, but it was refreshing and citrusy while still having a prominent alcohol taste. I was surprised to learn that Botanist ranks 26th in the 50 Best bars list for North America. However, I believe there is a different drink menu in the dining room versus the bar, and I don't know if these menus are strictly enforced. In terms of food, we started our meal with a few slices of rye bread and butter. The butter was great, but I wish the bread came out warm and a little fresher. It was actually slightly under room temperature which was a bit off-putting. The ratio of bread to butter was also off, with significantly more bread than butter. We had to ask for a little more butter. For our starter, we went with the pan-seared scallops. From the second I saw this on the menu I knew I wanted to order it. The concept was unique and stood out to me as something I needed to try: tom yum broth with western style seared scallops. The scallops were amazing. They had a very subtle initial bite while having a delicate chew afterwards. Perfectly cooked. The tom yum broth was also good. Nice and tangy, with a slight kick, and a pleasant herbiness. However I had some issues with the overall dish. The dish is very temperature sensitive, and the tom yum is served separately table-side. Even with this effort, I thought the broth came out a little too cold, also slightly under room temperature. Of course if it is too hot, the broth is overpowering and ruins the taste of the scallop, but if it is too cold it's also distracting and unpleasant. Because of this, it also felt like I was enjoying the two components separately. They were both good on their own, with the intense flavor of the broth being its saving grace, but did not come together to compliment each other in the way I hoped they would. Even if the broth was warmer, I still think there might've been too much of a clash between the tom yum and scallop. I would have liked a little creaminess in the tom yum, as it would add a nice richness to bring the dish together and make the tom yum feel more like a sauce for the scallop instead of a broth severed separately. The whole reason why I went back to Botanist was because of the duck. And after my first bite, I was elated to see that it was just as flawless as I'd remembered. The skin is so perfectly crispy, not too crispy, but melts together beautifully with the tender and moist duck meat. The meat is so soft, it's more tender than most filet mignons. Although the duck is dry-aged, there is no funky flavor or gaminess. The flavor remains very pure and juicy, perfectly complimented by the light brown butter sauce. The portion of duck is very generous, and comes on top of mushrooms, red cabbage, and spätzle. All of these components contribute nicely to the dish, but the duck remains the star of the show. To this day I still believe this is the best duck I have ever had and will continue to compare all ducks I have in the future to this. Overall I had an amazing experience. The service was attentive but not too in your face. There was plenty of attention to our water glasses always someone to ask if we were enjoying our food while still giving us our space during the meal. Although the meal in its entirety wasn't perfect, the duck breast is really special, and something that I will remember for a long time. And while other dishes are still interesting and delicious, I would highly recommend a trip here just for the duck. Botanist is a beautiful restaurant that really leaves a lasting impression from the atmosphere to the service to the food.