‘It’s a reasonable price’: Adelaide’s Restaurant Botanic’s $1100-a-seat dinner with top champagne label Dom Perignon

Arguably the best restaurant in Australia is offering a one-time-only dinner event – with one of the world’s top champagnes. Here’s what you get for your $1100 dinner.

Adelaide’s Restaurant Botanic and global champagne brand Dom Perignon are teaming up for an exclusive dinner event priced at an eye-watering $1100 a head – and organisers say it’s worth every penny.

The intimate degustation, hosted by executive chef Justin James and his team, will feature a unique selection of champagnes and wines from Dom’s collection, with some worth up to $1600 a bottle.

James said the line-up of wines, including five different Dom Perignon Plénitudes and a 2014 Chateau d’Yquem, was unrivalled in Australia and “incredibly rare”.

“You won’t find these wines together on the same menu in the southern hemisphere,” he said.

“It’s a reasonable price for what you get. We will also give a proper pour of a full glass and we’ll do top-ups as well.

“It’s just an absolutely delicious champagne and it works very well with my food.”

James, whose restaurant was named Australia’s best by Gourmet Traveller in 2022, has designed a seafood-focused menu to showcase the label’s top drops, highlighted by their 2009 Rosé Plénitude 1, which isn’t for sale yet in Australia.

Botanic Restaurant is hosting a $1100-a-head Dom Perignon dinner next month. Executive chef Justin James and Sommelier Elle Foster at the restaurant in the Botanic Gardens. Picture: Naomi Jellicoe

“We’ve tweaked the flavours to showcase the wines and not overshadow it,” he said.

“It’s going to be an exciting night. It’s all about providing an exceptional experience and exceptional value,” he said.

The 24-seat dinner on October 26, which will also feature Moet Hennessy’s champagne ambassador Dean O’Reilly, is the second exclusive dinner hosted by Restaurant Botanic.

A similar event last year, priced at $990 a ticket, sold out within days.

James said there’s definitely a market for high-end dining in Adelaide, with the restaurant’s regular $360-a-person degustation comparable with the most expensive in Melbourne and Sydney.

“You just have to make sure you deliver, deliver, deliver,” he said.

“Some people expect food and beverage to be cheap. But you’re missing out on the whole experience.

“We have a reputation and I think people trust us to spend $500 on a food and beverage pairing for dinner. You just have to make sure you exceed expectations.”

Tickets are running out – check their availability here: exploretock.com/restaurantbotanic