Roganic (2)

The second visit to Roganic was totally unplanned. On the evening concerned I actually had a reservation for The Ledbury at 10:15 but a long day meant that I was on the lookout for an earlier alternative. Confirmation that Roganic had early evening openings meant that things were switched around to go with the early option.

As I was sitting down to wonder whether to go withthe same menu as before or the vegetarian option, Ben Spalding nipped up from the kitchen to say hello. Towards the end of our chat he asked if I’d like to try something different and there was absolutely no reason to pass that opportunity up. The meal ended up as a blend between the standard and vegetarian menus with some common dishes to my previous visit. 

Menu decision out of the way, I was really looking forward to the squid ink & cucumber foam canapé. But then disaster, the canapés turned up and there was no sight of it. Luckily the replacements proved to be more than adequate. First up was a smoked carrot crisp where the smoke and carrot flavours blended superbly to give an intensely flavoured snack. The second option used the squid ink crackers as the base for a cream cheese & snow pea sandwich &topped with linseeds. This was the refreshing option of the three. 

The undisputed star of the three was the third snack. The pork & eel croquette with mustard seed, apple & carrot was sensational. The blend of smoked eel & pork was a joyous match of two strong flavours and the breadcrumb exterior was wonderfully crisp. The only problem was that there was just too little of it. The kitchen could have made their life easy and sent this out for the next 9 courses and I’d still have been happy. 

The first course proper was the vegetarian version of the blue cheese millet pudding. This was the same as before without the bone marrow and it suffered in comparison. Still a lovely dish though. 

Next course appeared under the smoke dome. As the lid was lifted it revealed the Braddock White duck egg with the companion salt beef, pickled vegetables, ox-eye daisy & toasted oats. The dish was a sensory bonanza because it looked fantastic and for at least a couple of minutes you are able to revel in the glorious remnants of the applewood smoke. The smoked slow-cooked duck egg yolk was delicious but my preference was for the unsmoked version that I’d had first time around. 

Up next was a fish course. The langoustine with cured char, purple sprouting broccoli and crab apple puree was superb. As with the smoked version, chokeberry vinaigrette was added to the table. The wonderfully sweet langoustine was actually overshadowed by the char that was a revelation in this setting. It was a wonderful, softly textured piece of fish that tasted fantastic.   

The menu then moved over to vegetarian options. The mushroom dish was used King Oyster and Velvet Shank mushrooms with sea purslane, mushroom soil, mushroom purée, stonecrop, beetroot and endive. Both varieties of mushrooms were rich and full of flavour, combining well with the earthiness of the beetroot and bitter endive as well as the other ingredients. It would be unusual for me to go with vegetarian options on restaurant but this was phenomenal. 

Next course was roasted golden cauliflower, charred baby gem, raisin puree, roast yarrow and sour cream. The sweet of the raisin and the sour of the cream and pickled cauliflower worked superbly with the vegetables. Another stunning looking dish that tasted wonderful.  

Next up was clay-baked leek. An example of the clay-surrounded leek was brought to the table to show how it was done and slightly later the cooked version was brought to the table. The leek was served with pine nuts and a truffle vermouth sauce. Plenty of freshly grated truffle was then added to the dish at the table. Leek has always been one of my favourite vegetables and it worked perfectly in this setting because the resulting cooked vegetable was wonderfully succulent. The truffle and pine nuts worked together to lift the dish even further. Another great course. 

Next up was roast parsnip served with smoked honey, parsnip crisp, chestnut purée, pickled walnuts and wild sorrel. I’m used to sweet-roasted parsnips but the smoking of the honey was something else combined with the tender parsnip.  My favourite part was the chestnut puree that had me scraping up every last remnant. When it was all gone, it still left me wanting much more. 

The final vegetable course was vintage potatoes served with onion ash, wood sorrel and crispy potato skins.  Another lovely dish and although I had a note to say how much I liked it at the time it hasn't proven as memorable as the other courses. 

The following course was a rework of the dab dish from my first meal. The updated version used sea bass as the central player in the dish. For me, this version of the dish worked better because I tend to enjoy stronger flavoured fish more. The sea bass stood up better to the other flavours although the parsley root was still the star for me. 

The main course had a couple of slices of wonderfully tender venison haunch, served with heritage potatoes (Royal Kidneys), parsnip purée and blackberry. The whole dish was augmented by grating Congolese chocolate over the ensemble at the table. Over two meals, this was the only non-British ingredient used. Compared to the other courses it was an almost traditional blend of flavours and it provided a strong finish to the savoury dishes. 

Pre-dessert was ginger-beer granita with lemon balm. The ginger flavour of the ice was really intense and the lemon balm provided a citrus compliment to it.  I loved it. (The picture was taken after a couple of spoonfuls & some lemon balm had been eaten). 

Next two courses and final snacks were the same as the previous meal. The bilberries and salted chocolate mousse both reinforced the opinion that they were wonderful dishes. The salted chocolate would have to rate as one of my favourite desserts of the year. The Douglas fir shake was better this time around because the fir flavour came through much better. 

Overall verdict.
Two visits, two incredible meals.  Sandia Chang did a great job of recommending wines as the meal progressed and the enthusiasm of everyone helped make it a great evening. 

Would I revisit Roganic?  
Roganic is my top place to go to next time I’m in London. A truly special restaurant. 

Overall Rating - 5/5