Long Tasting Menu

Weekend lunch service at Roganic seems to be as bustling as ever with every table occupied, not deterred by the general slowdown in business elsewhere with the virus outbreak and all. It’s been a while since I was last here, so happy to be back to check out a few new dishes on the menu as spring season is approaching and Chef Oli Marlow, their head chef at Roganic London, was in town to bring in some new creations.

The Long Tasting Menu consists of a dozen or so dishes in small portion. The food here stood out with its interesting combination of ingredients and straight forward preparation. This afternoon we began with a few bite-sized snacks, among which I love the prawn toast best, with the cube-sized toast with soft interior and crispy sides (stuffed with shrimp mash) and topped with the bright golden pike perch roes. It’s rich in the sea flavor. Next was a cold starter dish of scallop ceviche and oyster mousse served with a burnt cucumber sauce – the aroma was reminiscent of a spring garden with herbaceous flavor and a touch of floral scent.

I love the comforting taste of the warm potato mousse with smoked eel and horseradish, served in a small wooden cup. Soft, rich and creamy. The egg yolk and kohlrabi dish reminded me of sauerkraut, with the pickled kohlrabi combined with the soft-cooked yolk in gel consistency served with a deep broth. The tomato and crab dish came right before our two main courses which served well as a palate cleanser, with a slice of aged tomatoes topped with crab and edible flowers and tomato water on the side. The acidity of the tomato was a bit overwhelming but it was certainly refreshing.

Our first main dish was salmon fillet. A tricky dish to impress in my opinion but the chef did well, with the piece of fish cooked to perfection, just slightly cooked inside and with the crispy skinless crust on top. On the side was the sweet corn puree bringing in a taste of hot season. The second dish was duck. Much stronger in flavor, with a piece of roasted duck breast served with hawthorn leaf on top, and on the side, picked duck meat, pumpkin puree and meat jus with mustard seeds. I like that touch of earthy flavor accented by some sweetness from the pumpkin and raspberry.

We finished with another palate cleanser (yogurt with dill and fennel) plus two desserts. The blackberry cheesecake was classic with a softer texture (ricotta like rather than the New York-style one) but my favorite was the white chocolate and red miso icecream served on top of a piece of candied nashi pear. The presentation was made for Instagram with great taste to show forth. Of course there's also the crispy donuts dusted with pine sugar as our petit fours.

And our lunch didn’t just stop there. After the feast we moved over to the bar with their mixologist Andrew showing us a few drinks made using vegetable produce from a local farm plus more snacks. Such a bliss for a relaxing, long afternoon.

(Meal was by invitation. More photos can be found here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/g4gary/albums/72157713023587187)

When? February 8 2020
Where? Roganic, UG/F 08, Sino Plaza, 255 Gloucester Road, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong
Menu Highlights? Smoked eel and potato with horseradish

Drinks? Exton Park with Simon Rogan Rose NV
Web: www.roganic.com.hk