What's the draw
A pop-up-turned-permanent-restaurant from arguably the leading light in British fine dining, Simon Rogan's Roganic gives the iconic farm-to-table chef a much-needed London outpost following his departure from Fera at Claridges last year. You can look forward to some of the most exceptional, creative food you'll find in the capital (as you'd expect from the chef-patron of L'Enclume) served across a 15-course tasting menu.
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What to drink
You could go the whole four or so hours (if you opt for the longer of the two tasting menus – which, of course, we did) without clocking an emphasis on biodynamic and natural wines. The sort served here aren't necessarily the new-school type you'll find in East London wine bars; but they're all refined, structured and full of character – none more so than the 'Opok', a sauvignon blanc from Austrian winemaker Sepp Muster with a definite funk from some skin contact; and the Saint-Peray 'Les Figuiers' white Rhône blend, full of buttery richness and almond and popcorn notes. The Kelley Fox 'Ahurani' 2015 from the Willamette Valley is everything you want from an Oregon pinot noir – far more depth than its body would suggest and packed full of redcurrant jam flavour.
What to eat
It doesn't take long for the scope and ambition of Rogan's cooking to draw a smile: if the lip-smacking raspberry tart doesn't do it, the L'Enclume staple – a fried pork and smoked eel 'puff' – definitely will. There are inventive plays of flavour and texture all over the menu, without ever going too cheffy: avette tartare served inside a sliver of pickled kohlrabi that reveals smokey, coal-like notes; artichoke broth with smoked cured egg yolk; seaweed custard, about as sweet as an off-dry wine, with plenty of umami. Salt-baked celeriac with dehydrated, shaved enoki mushroom and malty whey foam is a work of art, as is the reworked tarte tatin – a spiral of buttery, sweetened apple served alongside a quenelle of taut ice cream spiked with douglas fir. The menu will change regularly, but put simply, this is top-level food at its finest from a chef whose presence in London is welcomed with open arms.
Tasting menu: £115; wine pairing £75. 5-7 Blandford Street, W1U 3DB; roganic.uk
