I've been back in the UK for a week now, and I have a, frankly overwhelmingly, lengthy list of meals in London, Singapore and Australia that I am keen to document here.
To start off, and ease myself back in to blogging after 3 months off, here's a mainly photographic account of an outstanding meal at Roganic, where I dined with a group of friends back in September.
We opted for the 10 course dinner menu, starting with this pretty amuse.
Then the most spectacular bread selection I've ever seen was presented, 1 between 3 (we were 6 diners in total). This was one of my highlights, there was a quite brilliant soda bread, sweet tasting, and unlike any bread I've tried before.
Heirloom tomato, poached lamb tongue and dill custard - amazing and intense dehydrated tomato.
Bradock white (egg yolk), pickled roots, ox eye daisy and salt beef - best dish of the night for me.
Cured and smoked Cornish char, Watts farm pepper and crab apple.Pig and smoked eel, sea purslane, black mustard and pickled corn - this, I don't seem to have photographed for some reason. I do recall the sea purslane being the best thing about the dish, salty and crunchy.
Grilled langoustine, purple sprouting, elder and loganberry oil.
Royal kidneys (potato) cooked in chicken fat, snow peas, goats curd and clam juice - tastiest potato EVER.
Skate belly, young beetroot, caramelised cauliflower and King scallop.
Cumbrian rose veal cooked in buttermilk, cobnuts, mead and wild cabbage puree - I come from Kent and find it a joy to see cobnuts on any menu. The ingredient list here perfectly illustrates the clever and interesting cooking one can expect to enjoy at Roganic.
Warm salted chocolate, William pear, chesnuts and buckthorn.
Billberries, dried caramel, natural yoghurt and iced lemon thyme.Service deserves special mention, each member of the team is knowledgeable and helpful. The room too, which is cosy and warm, though the taller of our party had trouble with those pesky hanging lamps!
We started off with gin and tonics all round, and somehow managed to see off 5 bottles of wine throughout the night (Droit chablis '08, Chateau Filhot '99 and Rillard Morgon '09). 10 courses (plus canapé and pre dessert), I didn't feel overly full when we left and all this came to under £160 per person. I thought Roganic was terrific and am keen to try chef Ben Spalding's food again. Or, perhaps a trip up to Cumbria to sister restaurant, and head chef Simon Rogan's permanent home, L'Enclume is in order - this is certainly food worth travelling for.
Roganic
19 Blandford Street
W1
8/10 (if you've not already been, go in 2012, as Roganic is a 2 year pop up and you really don't want to miss this)
