One of Australia’s most famous restaurants has removed its entire menu

A world-famous Australian restaurant has done away with the menu that made it famous.

Botanic Restaurant’s critically acclaimed buffet will no longer be served from July 17 – even though foodies travel from around the world to try it.

The South Australian restaurant, ranked among the 50 best restaurants in the world, has a new head chef – who wants the menu to reflect his ideas.

The big changes at the three-hatted restaurant in Adelaide’s Botanical Gardens began with a reshuffle of staff, as Justin James handed over the keys to the kitchen to head chef James Musgrave, who was previously at Fervor restaurant in Western Australia’s famous Margaret River region.

Justin James has made a name for Botanic restaurant with dishes such as garden flowers and green ants, abalone in botanical curry with myrtle buds and a sublime emu egg chawanmushi with wallaby tea, caviar and native lemongrass.

Botanic Restaurant was awarded three hats in 2023 and also won South Australia’s Best Restaurant in 2022 before its menu was axed.

James Musgrave’s exciting new vision is to “push the boundaries of showcasing indigenous ingredient profiles from across Australia.

“As I reflect on my new role, I look forward to sharing my ideas on food and hospitality,” said Mr Musgrave.

But the restaurant’s passion for Australian ingredients and commitment to using products from the country’s best small-batch artisan producers remains.

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“I’m excited to delve into the rich diversity of Australian ingredients and draw inspiration from my time at Fervor, where we foraged alongside Aboriginal elders and explored stunning landscapes from Esperance to the Kimberleys,” added Mr Musgrave.

The newly appointed head chef will also benefit from his recent stint in Hong Kong in the prestigious kitchen of James Sharman’s One Star House Party, where he gained experience in the attention to detail and skill required to prepare such complex dishes.

The new menu features a standout dish: rum-grilled Western Australian chestnut, spread with sea lettuce butter made from foraged seaweed and served with fermented pepper and lime paste, rounded off with a sauce made from smoked eel, koji and aromatically pickled lemon myrtle buds.

Guests trying out Musgrave’s new menu can also look forward to a crocodile chawanmushi, a lightly steamed Japanese egg custard layered with crocodile bone dashi and hot smoked crocodile rib meat, and finished with crocodile foam and lemon aspen leaf vinegar. Those who have tried it described it as “light” and “divine.”

Foodies who are hesitant to try such unusual flavors only need to take a quick look at some of the reviews from amazed diners to be convinced to try the new menu.

“Botanic Restaurant sets the gold standard for fine dining in Australia,” says the five-star review.

Another agreed: “The most spectacular meal I had in Australia. The menu was so well put together and the food was absolutely delicious and gorgeous.”

“I’ve been to some incredible restaurants and this is hands down the best of them all. The service was fantastic, all the staff were lovely. The restaurant itself is beautiful and I love that you can watch the kitchen at work,” raved another guest.

The venue is light-filled and cosy, and the views of the surrounding 51 hectares of peaceful, manicured gardens create a magical and unique atmosphere.

The menu is priced at $365 per person and includes a selection of additional drink pairings – including “Temperance,” a “complex and adventurous” non-alcoholic selection of juices, infusions, ferments, kombuchas and mocktails for $165.

Alcoholic beverage prices range from $225 per person to a staggering $950 per person for an experience aptly named “The Creme de la Creme,” which includes luxurious drinks from some of the most prestigious brands from Australia and around the world.

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