This post is a few months out of date. It’s not the best way to encourage you to read on, but please do. Last week saw Roganic closing its doors to a 2-year so-called pop up, and the news of its departure from the London dining scene reminded us of how wonderful the food was and how we should have urged you all to go while there was time – fear not, as Roganic will be re-opening  later in the year or early next year at a new location.

Roganic was nestled within Marylebone. In fact, it was next door to Trishna. Unfortunately, the block on which it sits on Blandford Street is due to be knocked down, hence this was the convenient opportunity for Simon Rogan to test the London waters with his Cumbrian fare.

Our meal began with a spectacular croquette of tender pork and smoked eel, served alongside a light cheese crisp topped with a cheese mousse and pickled onions. As our server lifted the mini cast iron lid, a fragrance of the outdoors was released – hay smoke had been piped into the dish and wafted up to compliment the smoked note of the eel.

The breads came in form of onion & thyme, ale & wholemeal, and an English version of the classic German pumpernickel. These were accompanied with a light whipped butter.

The pre-starter was a deliciously light mushroom mousse with pickled mushrooms, topped with a burnt onion crisp. It was like the most wonderful savory version of a creme brulee. The moreish creamy onion and mushroom flavours were brilliant with spherical droplets of garlic and a delicately young wild garlic leaf.

The first course was swede dumplings, sprinkled with toasted barley and hogweed, and served in a rich flavourful roasted vegetable broth. The dumplings were smooth and earthy, and were complimented well by the savoury and flavoursome broth.

The next course was Reg’s duck, with candy beets, gizzards and light mustard dressing. The duck had been stripped of it’s skin then slow cooked overnight. The skin was then reattached and cooked with the breast, creating what can only be described as the most perfectly cooked duck – pink and tender flesh with a crispy skin. The crunchy bitter cabbage and sweet beets added different textures and contrasting tastes to compliment the rich duck. And the drizzle of mustard-infused jus had just the right amount of punch to enhance the whole dish. Although I was raised on offal, trotters and other delightful entities of livestock/poultry, the other Food Potter couldn’t quite get used to the bitter, iron-tasting gizzards (while I happily chomped my way through them). The flavours of the gizzards can overpower the dish and I think it can take some getting used to. Whereas the other Food Potter would prefer to do without (and he had to mask the flavour with a swipe of the mustard dressing or sliver of beet), I would say that if you can hack the taste of liver (and then some), it’s not that bad!

Our final course was a stunning plate of forced rhubarb, gingerbread crumbs, honeycomb ice cream and sorrel. It was exquisite to look at and even better to taste. The cubes of rhubarb were tangy and sharp, whereas the soft jellies and shards of rhubarb were deliciously saccharine. Combined with the smooth creamy ice cream and sugary, crunchy, gingery crumbs and fresh sorrel, this was a brilliant dessert that kept us going back for more!

The meal ended with an apple mousse and stout jelly, topped with a sprinkle of granola. The apple mousse was soft and zingy while the jelly was bitter and delicious like a good pint should be. The granola was sweet and crisp, and all together it was a delightful combination of textures and tastes.

We both agree that Simon Rogan is an exciting chef. We love his use of foraged ingredients, and where some have superfluously used this idea or bypassed the rest of the dishes, everything we tried was executed with perfection by the Roganic team. It’s no coincidence that we now want to head up north to his Cumbrian outpost L’Enclume. We’re sorry that we couldn’t write this post up earlier, friends. But how about a little secret between just between us. Roganic will resurface at another location in London pending approval. We’ll keep our ears to the ground, and as soon as we sniff this bad boy out, you’ll be the first to know. Promise.