Roganic (Under Renovation)

Item: Roganic
Rating: 5
Author: eatwai

4.5

192 Reviews

Taste

Decor

Service

Hygiene

Value

30011

Causeway Bay

$401-800

British Western

141

eatwai

Level4

188

Read full review

[ Roganic | 銅鑼灣 ]

I decided to go to Roganic for my birthday and it did not disappoint!! I’m also super lucky as Simon Rogan was in the restaurant for two days so I got to meet him.

This restaurant is not new and has been around since early 2019. Thus it has evolved into an affordable fine-dining restaurant. But their menu still changes every season and we managed to try their new summer menu.

The restaurant is not big but still very spacious with a few small tables. I love the soft 70s music playing in the background as well as the dim but still manageable lighting to set the mood.

We all ordered the short tasting menu $880 as only the tasting menus are available for dinner.

The service here is amazing. Each course is served with appropriate time after we’ve finished the previous one. The staff is lively, attentive and really understands the menu and Simon’s intentions.

___

a4 wagyu, roast onion, seaweed and caviar ⭐️

First came the snacks.

So rich with the most amazing mouthfeel. Tender and rich wagyu tartare with the fishy and bright caviar. The roast onion adds umami and depth to the bite. This tiny snack is the perfect way to start the meal.

This was my favourite of the two snacks.
Important to eat this first as the tartlet would get soft soon.

___

yi-o rice cracker, karasumi, preserved lemon, herb snow

Super crunchy and tangy. The cracker doesn’t get soggy from the custard and maintained it’s dexterity. The karasumi added a wonderful saltiness and contrasted well with the salty lemon.

Refreshing but underwhelming after the first indulgent snack.

___

Pineapple tomato with mussel and white kombu ⭐️

A huge thick slice of pineapple tomato that paired perfectly with a rich mussel and kombu emulsion and the refreshing yuzu and pineapple liquid that cuts right through. Also enjoyed the sweet tomatoes that tastes so rich as if it has been roasted (not sure) on the side.

I love how these flavors that seem crazy actually work really well together. The rich, fishy mussel with the bright tomato and sweet, tangy pineapple juice.

___

soda bread with brown cultured english butter ⭐️

The signature soda bread!

It’s actually really really good. Has a cake-muffin texture with its soft and fluffy interior. Loved the sour taste but also molasses-like sweetness. The top has some sugar and oats sprinkled on for that extra crunch. The bread is still warm so you can really taste the richness of the bread.

But the bread is made so much better with the butter. No wonder you can only get the bread at Baker and Bottle man but not the butter. It’s incredibly rich and caramelized due to the brown butter and I can also taste a hint of sourness from the culture. The butter is perfectly soft, and almost melts to the knife so it is spreads beautifully onto the hot bread.

The server enthusiastically asked us if we wanted more after finishing it and we gladly said yes. They also said that we can ask for more bread at any time which is so nice and I was tempted to go for a third round but decided to save my appetite for the mains.

___

chawanmushi, tendon, legumes, kohlrabi ⭐️

My favourite dish of the night!

I love the silky, creamy egg custard with the most intensely flavourful beef broth made from rendering beef fat. The tendons are not also amazingly chewy but also immensely flavourful. The heavy dish is made light with the crunchy beans and edamame and juicy kohlrabi.

Eating everything together is the ideal marriage of texture, taste and aroma. The aroma being the beef fat that just flows right into your nostrils.

The portion is also just right as the beef jus did get greasy after a while and made my mouth quite oily.

___

butter poached grouper with Mr Lins asparagus and wild garlic

The texture of the dish is quite weird. Not flaky and almost rubbery when I used the fork but still tender to the mouth. The ‘fish’ taste and smell is very pronounced though and blows straight to my nose when arrived, which some may not like.

The green sauce is also very funky and unlike anything I have tasted before. Hard to describe it but it is very green and herbaceous, went quite well with the fish in my opinion but my family has controversial opinions on it. Definitely worth a try.

The small white asparaguses are crunchy which went well with the smooth fish and pungent sauce.

I do wish there were more fermented cabbage

—— ——

three yellow chicken with koji white radish, lovage

My least favorite dish of the night 🥲

The chicken breast is one degree off from being undercooked. Master cooking technique or luck 🫣 The taste is also extremely bland with no chicken taste and heavily relies on the sauce for flavor.

Speaking of the sauce, it’s quite bitter but with notes of soy. Hard to describe once again and very controversial among our table. I didn’t enjoy it but at least it gave the chicken some flavor.

The crispy chicken thigh is much better. The skin crunches and is well seasoned. The meat itself is tender and juicy. However, there was a huge chunk of chicken fat that either wasn’t rendered properly to they forgot to trim it off 🤔 I did not care for that.

The best part of this dish was the fried chicken gizzards that tastes like pork! Extremely savory and tender. Outside is crunchy too.

I absolutely loved the salty, briny white radish with hints of miso (as they used koji) crunchy and juicy but also not like your usual pickled radish.

There was also a purée made of pea (I think) that’s not sweet (as I expected) but very spring-esque and fresh. It’s also smooth and velvety which goes well with the chicken thigh but weird with the brown sauce.

—— ——

shiso, cucumber, sake, sorrel

A palate cleanser before the actual dessert 😄

So refreshing and crisp with the cucumber shiso ice cream that’s not creamy at all! But still smooth and velvety.

The sake granita is even more refreshing! Like little sweet, flavored ice. Doesn’t melt over time too thanks to the cold bowl.

A very herbaceous dish with the sorrel and shiso. Soothing and healing.

—— ——

hazelnut praline, cocoa nib, chicory root and molasses ⭐️

The perfect way to end this meal!

I absolutely love the (sea salt mousse I think) at the bottom. It works so well with the crunchy and nutty hazelnut praline and the sweetness of the molasses. But my favorite part has to be the brownie like layer beneath the mousse. It’s dense and rich with intense flavor of chocolate.

I also believe the ice cream on top is espresso flavored. And everyone already knows coffee and chocolate are best friends.

The portion is also just right as I had several bites but don’t feel the heavy pull of desserts that are too rich and sweet.

—— ——

I also received a complimentary birthday cake from the team and I love how they have a separate dessert for special occasions and doesn’t just write ‘Happy Birthday’ on the plate.

The dessert is a mousse with 3 different types of black tea. So rich and indulgent but not heavy as the tea flavor is very strong. The base is a chocolate shortbread which is buttery and moist. So good.

Quite a small piece but understandable as they already included a dessert.

—— ——

推介 ✅

💬 Overall, a fantastic dining experience here at Roganic. The service was impeccable and they definitely deserved their Michelin star. My favorite aspect of this restaurant is how they utilize all parts of an ingredient (evident in their green star) and manage to create mind-numbingly delicious flavor combinations.

I would say some flavors might not work for some people but it’s worth a try if your adventurous and open minded.

🗓 Revisit? ✅ / ❎ 🤷‍♀️ (this place is more of a once-in-a-lifetime experience, but I wouldn’t mind coming back for their long tasting menu or next menu change)