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2022-12-22
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Knowing that Chef Simon Rogan is returning to HK for a week to celebrate his 20th anniversary, bringing with him a special tasting menu based on his most-loved dishes from the past two decades, I am happy to secure a table and return to Roganic to experience this unique occasion. Arriving the Michelin 1-star restaurant on time, we are seated at the kitchen bar area at the back. It is a full house as expected and Chef Rogan brought additional supports from his other restaurants to ensure the same
Knowing that Chef Simon Rogan is returning to HK for a week to celebrate his 20th anniversary, bringing with him a special tasting menu based on his most-loved dishes from the past two decades, I am happy to secure a table and return to Roganic to experience this unique occasion.
Arriving the Michelin 1-star restaurant on time, we are seated at the kitchen bar area at the back. It is a full house as expected and Chef Rogan brought additional supports from his other restaurants to ensure the same impeccable services. We have the special Full Tasting Menu ($2,880), while I also go for Premium Wine Pairing ($1,880) and my wife the Non-alcoholic Pairing ($480).
The first wine served is Georges Laval ‘Garennes’ NV. It is a grower champagne from Vallee de la Marne, producing about 15,000 bottles overall each year. The producer is one of the first to certify with Ecocert in Champagne. This wine is made mainly with Pinot Meunier, showing good minerality and acidity.
The first course comes from Henrock, Chef Rogan’s beautiful restaurant in UK near Windermere. The Lobster Roll has a buttery brioche at the bottom, with the lobster tail meat mixed with lobster head emulsion, some smoked pike perch, and with fermented gooseberry from their own farm on top. Decorated with some edible flowers, the sweetness from the lobster meat, enhanced by the flavours of the emulsion, mixed perfectly with the smokiness of the fish, and wrapping up with the tartness of the gooseberry. A great harmony in taste.
The second course comes from Aulis Cartmel, the chef’s table adjacent to L’Enclume. The Pea Wafer is a crunchy thin crisp with some fresh cheese made in-house on top, supplemented with organically grown peas, shoots, and flowers. The dish was developed when the group started to have their own farm. Nice and refreshing, the cheese is delicate and not strong, balance well with the lighter flavours of the vegetables featured.
The third course comes from L’Enclume in Cartmel, the Michelin 3-star and flagship restaurant of Chef Rogan. The Pork and Smoked Eel Fritter has an appealing crisp surface, with the delicious fillings having also a nice smokiness. Underneath is a lovage puree that has a herbal taste to balance the palate, with also touches of fermented sweetcorn on top for a bit of sweetness to accompany. The taste is good, just that I don’t know how to properly scoop up the puree to go with the fritter without messing up.
The fourth course comes from Fera at Claridge’s. The ‘Grown Up Yolk from the Golden Egg’ has an interesting presentation, with the yolk actually made from chicken mousse wrapped in an edible casing with golden sheen. Sitting on some roasted seeds to give a crunchy texture, the garlic emulsion adds to the complexity of flavours and the mustard cress a touch of different bite. Mixing them up creates a harmonious experience on the palate which we both like very much.
The next wine served is Weingut Knoll Ried Kreutle Loibner Gruner Veltliner 2019 from Wachau, Austria. There are plenty of green apple, citrus zest, wet stones which goes well with the scallops and the sauce of the next dish.
The fifth course also comes from L’Enclume, and was the first dish that was served to customers in the restaurant, as Chef Rogan told us himself. The Scallop, coming from Hokkaido, is beautifully roasted and seasoned with some scallop roe powder, serving as a natural salt and infusing with great umami taste too. Serving on a fennel puree, with some fennel crisps on the side to give a crunchy bite. On top is a deep-fried crispy oyster, finishes with a fennel sauce with plenty of truffle, offering a creamy and tasty addition to integrate all the ingredients together.
The third wine is Egon Muller ‘Scharzhofberger’ Kabinett 2020 from Mosel, Germany. Stunning with glorious lemon zest, plenty of floral notes and nice minerality, the slight sweetness goes well with the caviar in my opinion.
The sixth course is Ox in Coal Oil, originated from The French of The Midland Hotel in Manchester. The beef has been aged for 35 days, made into a tartare and mixed with coal oil. On the side are some pickled kohlrabi, toasted pumpkin seeds, sunflower shoots, together with a sauce made from the pumpkin seeds and topped with some caviar. The tartare is tender and flavourful, with the pickled kohlrabi giving a lively vibrancy, and the different seeds and shoots a contrast in texture.
The fourth wine is Forjas del Salnes Leirana ‘Genoveva’ 2018, an Albarino from Rias Baixas, Spain. Made from old vines, the wine has a noted maritime character, an interesting salinity, with also lemon, quince and honeysuckle, as well as some ginger on the background. A good wine to pair with the razor clam and the acidity also helps to cut through the creaminess of the egg.
The seventh course is Razor Roll Reversal, from L’Enclume. Back in 2005 with the hype of molecular cuisine in the world, this dish was created. Inside the razor clam shell is scrambled egg with white kombu seaweed on top, and inside the egg shell is the razor clam, chopped with some chives added, in a foam with mushroom flavours. Interesting and tasty are the two words that come to mind for this dish. The ingredients might be simple, but the creativity and details to make both matching well with each other do need techniques and attention.
The fifth wine is from one of my favourite producers, Lopez de Heredia from Rioja, Spain. The Vina Gravonia Crianza 2014 has nice aged characters with plenty of ripe apples, honey and nuts, a good body with distinctive acidity and very refreshing. The development flavours match well with the earthiness of artichokes and the cheese.
The eighth course, from L’Enclume, is Fuseau Jerusalem Artichokes, seasoned with Aromat, with the bigger piece coming from UK having a stronger earthy tone, while the smaller one, which looks like a worm, come from Japan and more delicate in flavours. The Ragstone is an English goat cheese, creamy and smooth, with nice milky taste and some savoury notes. Together with a stout reduction on the side, this is another of our favourites in the evening.
The sixth wine is Eric Morgat ‘Fides’ Savennieres 2015 from Loire Valley in France. With good peach and nectarine aromas, the flinty minerality, wet stone and honey, is a very good example of Chenin Blanc in its best rendition. Good complement with the monkfish and the spices used to marinate it.
The ninth course is Five Flavour Monkfish, coming from Rogan & Company, Chef Rogan’s neighborhood restaurant in Cartmel. He first poaches the monkfish with some Chinese spices, and served together with raspberry vinaigrette to give acidity, plus a parsnips and hazelnut sauce, with also the hazelnut puree to accompany. Another great dish which we both liked, the meaty fish has an unique fragrance from the spices, going well with the sauce and puree.
The seventh wine is Domaine Trapet Pere & Fils Gevrey-Chambertin 2018 from Bourgogne, France. It is a powerful Pinot Noir with ripe red fruit, going well with the black garlic emulsion of the pork loin coming up.
The tenth course is Middle White Pork Loin, from Roganic London. The pork loin has been blended to form a mousse and added some herbs, before forming a tube and slow-cooked, really aromatic and delicious. With some deep-fried pork skin on top to give crispiness, there are also chard leaves on the side, with a black garlic and pumpkin puree, and a sauce made from the pork jus and Lake District mead. Another of our favourites in the evening. There is also a nice brioche to go along as well.
The eighth and final wine is Oremus Tokaji Aszu 6 Puttonyos 2007 from Hungary. The Tokaji sweet wine has caramelized characters, sweet but also have great acidity to balance, with prominent marmalade characters.
The eleventh course is Frozen Tunworth Cheese, from L’Enclume. The Tunworth cheese has another nickname as British Camembert, with a taste somewhere between a savoury and a sweet cheese. The frozen cheese has an interesting crumbly texture, with some preserved plum, candied buckwheat and malt to go along. The stone bowl has been thoughtfully chilled beforehand to hold this dessert.
The twelfth course comes from Aulis Soho. On top of the cake is a nice Meadowsweet Cream, with a delicate juice made from strawberries together with some pickled roses. The cake has soaked up a good amount of the juice, with the cream giving the body to the dessert perfectly. A great finale to the meal.
The Anvil 20 is the special testimony treat to Chef Rogan’s amazing journey in the culinary world. The sauce underneath is made from the pale ale while the medal-shaped dessert has a thin chocolate coating depicting the anvil, the logo of L’Enclume.
Service is very good, with the sommelier eager to share how each of the wine is chosen to complement with the dishes, and the staff all attentive and friendly. The bill on the night is $9,197 and even though the price is quite high, I am still glad to have the opportunity to experience this special menu and meet Chef Rogan to join him in celebrating his amazing culinary journey.
张贴
