Roganic (Hong Kong, CHINA) ★★★★☆

My buddy V and I have been playing a little hide-and-seek game for the past two months and because of that, we had been unable to come up with a time to gather for his birthday celebration. But two weeks ago, we finally did agree on a date. 

It was great to see him after nearly six months. I gotta pick our dinner venue tonight and it was one of my favorite places for the past couple of years, Roganic by British chef Simon Rogan. Very simple, hearty dishes with ingredients that I am normally not familiar with. That's as good as any combo.

The dining room turned out to be a lot busier than I first expected (It was full after I took this photo) and a certain famous actor also happened to be in the house. I arrived a few minutes after V settled down, and the good thing was we didn't have to worry about what to eat as there was only one tasting menu offered at dinner time. So, we could focus on updating each other on what's happening in our very busy lives.

Rock lobster and sand carrot tartlet, fennel pollen and calendula – No sign of rock lobster but the flavors from the sand carrot and fennel were quite prominent.

 
Whipped ceps and toasted grains, wild garlic and lion rock – A ton of strong, earthy flavors in there and I particularly enjoyed the crunch from the toasted grains.

 
Truffle pudding caramelised in birch sap, fermented black garlic and aged Berkswell – Reminded me a bit of the modern French Toast from the now-defunct Frantzén's Kitchen.  

The truffle pudding had this really nice, flaky texture reminiscent of a croissant topped elegantly by aged Berkswell cheese which has been finely shaved. Very delicate and satisfying.

Raw Spanish mackerel in coal oil, pickled champagne rhubarb and radish – Well, they said rhubarb on the menu but it's actually different textures of beetroot (love beetroot!) on top of the diced Spanish mackerel.

My favorite soda bread with cultured brown butter is back~

May queen potato from Yunnan in onion ashes, pickled walnut and lovage – The potato salad was made of confit May queen potatoes from Yunnan province, finished off nicely with burnt onion ashes, pickled walnut and a lovage emulsion. I thought I tasted a bit of truffle there as well.

 
Barbequed hen of the woods in miso butter, fermented horseradish and lemon thyme – A dish I have enjoyed here a few times already but with slightly different interpretation. This time around, the slightly pickled shiitake mushroom was finished on the grill, and paired with miso butter, lemon thyme and fermented horseradish emulsion. I loved the perfectly charred crust on the shiitake which was complemented nicely by the strong flavors of the buttery sauce.

 
Scallop from Hokkaido with chamomile, fermented fennel and smoked pike perch roe – This was a supplementary course we chose to add to our menu and it certainly didn't disappoint. The thinly sliced Hokkaido scallop topped with a layer of chamomile jelly, was matched superbly with an aromatic fennel emulsion full of lovely acidity.

 
Ora king salmon, parsley and buckwheat, farmhouse production long cucumber – Another dish I thought I had before. The melt-in-the-mouth Ora king salmon was just absolutely beautiful and the crispy skin, perfect! Almost like a tuile...

 
Preserved truffle stuffed three yellow chicken, sweet jean corn and roasted yeast – The three yellow chicken was stuffed with a thick slab of truffle mousse made with winter truffle from Perth. There was a second serving in the form of roasted chicken thigh on the side with crispy chicken skin and yeast. I liked the sweetness of the chargrilled sweet corn and corn puree to balance out the richness of the truffled chicken.

 

Frozen Tunworth cheese, alpine peach, malt crumb and lemon thyme – A small pre-dessert of frozen Tunworth cheese, fig jelly and malt crumb to reset our palate. I was so stuffed already.

 
Preserved blackcurrants, '100' flower honey cake, cream infused with sweet herbs and lavender – Heard this was a new item on the menu. Didn't like the slightly chewy texture of the '100' flower honey cake but the blackcurrants and lavender were fairly refreshing.

 
‘Roganic’ – And of course, the signature dessert with a parfait made of burnt honey and chamomile tea, diced pear cubes and pear juice on the bottom.

The lone mignardise was a candy flavored with caramel, white miso, apple and pine.

V and I had so much to talk about that we didn't even realize we were the second last table left (even the famous actor left before us). So, we called and informed the proper authorities that we'd come home late and quickly settled the bill. 

Food Rating: 7.6/10

Price: $$$

Address: Shop 8, UG/F, Sino Plaza, 255 Gloucester Road, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong

Closest Metro Station: Causeway Bay

Tel: +852 2817-8383

Website: www.roganic.com.hk

Opening Hours: 12:00pm - 2:30pm, 6:00pm - 10:30pm (Tue - Sun)