Celsius - Botany Downs. A special blog from a daughter and a dad...
1st June: A great start to Winter, I'd say!
Estimate prices: $22-$30
Amount we spent: $102.90
Kia Ora New Zealand!
I am half way through 7 days and 7 nights without my partner, at the moment, so I am feeling somewhat stressed and lonely...My school work is beginning to pile up and I am appreciating the idea of having Monday off (Queen's birthday).
With tense shoulders, droopy eye lids and the absolute urge to superglue myself into my bed, I felt it was an absolute pleasure to have my dad stay with me over the weekend.
We decided to check online for restaurants near my area, however nothing seemed appetising.
Each day I drive passed Botany downs and I always find myself glaring into Celsius the same way a dog tries to cram their nose out of a window, that is only partially down, just to get a good whiff of air.
Now because of this blog, I decided I would take Dad there. I have done well to push myself into new experiences. So much so, karma rewarded me with a lovely experience wining and dining at Celsius.
When you first enter Celsius it's entrance is on the side of the bar, therefore you feel secluded from the grotty old pub next door....I wonder if that was intentional.....?
You are greeted by 4 sections of the bar that share the same vibe, relaxed! The pub at the foreground, a pool table to the right, restaurant to the left and a sectioned off balcony area for the smokers.
The ambience was my sister's bedroom. If you knew her well it'd encompass paintings with vine like designs, similar to ones you see now-a-days on bedding.
In other words, a home of an artist. The ceiling wore 8 pairs of earings. That dropped in the shape of (as Dad put it best) sculptured moons. They attracted me first. This was because the light sat inside the globes, yet peaked through interesting patterns that looked like whirling leaves.
I particularly enjoyed the fact each section of the bar was raised or lowered to show which area was which. Where we sat was interesting because it was right on the edge of the restaurant section; therefore because we were raised higher than the bar, it felt like we were on an inside balcony.
The restaurant was not cramped, although with more people dining in, my thoughts could've changed.
The waitress was efficient. She definitely needed to be running a restaurant and I think because of this vibe, she may have been disgruntled about being out front. She seemed to have 'ticking time bomb' mannerisms.
She did her job and even gave us complimentary wedges, but she didn't seem to have the personality for waitressing. However, she could have just had a bad night. I understand completely, my week has been shitty. But tonight made it all worth while, so some of that would have been thanks to her.
Downside: They need an automatic door! (Suggested by Dad) The cold AND SMOKE rushes in...and that's not like a lingering effect. It honestly rushes in like I'm a rugby ball and 15 players are coming for me.
Twice I got up, walked across the room and closed the sliding door. You could tell the others in the restaurant appreciated this as they did so too, after my first attempt to keep in the heat.
Hurry up and ban smoking NZ - this is really becoming a pain in my ass.
Food for thought:
I ordered a salad. How typical of a female. But what actually caught my eye was: Lamb salad with onion rings......Odd huh?
DELICIOUS! In all forms, just beautiful. It included spinach, tomato and feta drenched in this amazing sweet sauce. All flavours complimented each other and my mouth was in love. I would definitely buy that again!
Another special was presented to us: Buy two house wines, get the bottle free. It was called Jagged Ridge.
Not too bad. Seemed a bit cheap... Reminded me of Jacob's Creek.
The desert was great as well. We ordered a desert for two, which meant you got a third desert free if you order this. So we received berry crem brulee (for Dad), Almond fudge brownie with ginger nut Kapiti ice cream and the third one free was a bunch of hand picked chocolates. Very very impressive !
The desert came out on a long rectangular plate, so we picked at it with our tea spoons - even though we were given two extra plates.
All in all....
The colours, decoration and even time management was efficient. I would honestly give this place a 9/10.
Dad's verdict:
I thought the TV's were annoying. They didn't match the place.
It was nicely set out though. Absolutely stunning bar maid. If I had a ferrari, she would've gone for me (don't worry he wasn't serious).
The food was beautiful. The chicken was slightly tough but the food was great. Compliments to the chefs.
The price was reasonable for what you got, which was: Chicken breast and gnocchi with other cheesy extras.
This was the first time I tried gnocchi and I really liked it.
Suppose next time I have it, it'll be terrible ha ha.
As for desert I was enthusiastic about the crem brulee. This was also my first time eating crem brulee.
It had a great texture with a mixture of different berries on top. I'd definitely get it again.
My rating would be 8/10
Of course I can never review a place without something random happening....
Fasicinating moment: Adding a wing bone (with no meat on it) to the chicken breast to make it look interesting.. (WE BOTH FOUND THAT HILARIOUS!)
It was attached by a piece of chicken skin. The poor thing looked out of place but however not so plain.
It was great as a talking point and made us laugh.
I would go again, and because it was down the road, I probably will!
Experience: 8/10
Food: 9/10
Price: 9/10
Tovah Xx
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