Sat Bains at the Electrolux cube, London

The view from the cube

The table settings

   The cube is a mobile-ish pop-up restaurant created by Electrolux and temporarily getting installed on the rooftops of European cities and hosting some of the continents finest Michelin 1,2 and 3 starred chefs. The London instalment of this concept has been planted onto the roof of the Royal festival hall, overlooking the Thames, London eye, the houses of parliament and the rooftops of the city for as far as you can see.
   The 'restaurant' itself is glass walled on three sides, allowing stunning vistas of the city and it was a fantastic vantage point for the recent flotilla which travelled along the Thames to celebrate the Queen's golden jubilee.Each time the cube moves it is taken apart and rebuilt at a huge cost, previously to London it was in Milan, and they are currently building a second cube in Stockholm to allow multiple cubes to operate at the same time. One of the best parts of the cube experience, is that as well as offering stunning views of London, you get the chance to watch top chefs in action, and chat to them and ask questions as you go.
  First British chef to use the cube to showcase his talent and ethos on food is Two Michelin starred Sat Bains of Restaurant Sat Bains with rooms, in Nottingham. This is is first venture into the Capital of any length, following a two day stint last year at Fortnum and Mason.While it is hard to transplant all the feeling and ambiance of a successful restaurant into a plain white and glass box on a rooftop in another city, Sat has taken up the challenge and given the cube a real flavour of what he is about. Simple, natural presentation, strong flavours, plenty of umami and most of all a sense of fun and memory.

NG7 2SA part 1

NG7 2SA part 2

    Upon arrival at the top of the six floor festival hall, we are greeted with the usual champagne, and also a cocktail which Sat has developed especially for the event and called NG7 2SA, a very refreshing sparkling drink-like a slightly cloudy champagne in appearance, but with a slightly bitter quinine taste, lots of herbs -notably lovage, and just enough chase vodka to make it interesting.
   Once inside the cube, and the obligatory photos of the views are taken, we are given another 'NG7 2SA', this time in canape form, a savoury horseradish ice cream sandwich with biscuit and herbs. at the restaurant, there is always a dish of this name on the menu using ingredients found in the restaurant gardens, or foraged along Lenton lane, where it resides. As the seasons progress, so the dish changes as berries, nuts and herbs come and go in and out of season. A nice touch, and indicative of Sat's philosophy of using iconic British ingredients and techniques from around the world to showcase them.
   The first course requiring cutlery is the third instalment of Sat's postcode, this time a delicate horseradish panna cotta is topped with a gentle wild garlic soup and a couple of baked croutons. Whilst horseradish and wild garlic are ingredients which can easily overpower a dish, they were both mild and vibrant in this dish, and the taste of the soup was not as intense as the colour. Subtlety of touch another element of the chefs signature here.

Sat welcomes us

the patio on the roof of festival hall

Scallop-vanilla-tomato-strawberry

   Next up was a simple looking dish of scallops, seared on one side only and dressed with vanilla scented sauce vierge with confit tomatoes and fresh diced strawberries. an elderflower mayonnaise, elderflower petals and torn basil completing the dish. a hint of raspberry vinegar in the vierge backing up the acidity of the tomato so this didn't become too sweet. Cooking the scallop on one side and then allowing the residual heat to warm the rest of the mollusc kept it incredibly tender, and this was a lovely summery dish, despite the grey day outside on festival hall roof.

Sat and his development chef, Emma

'Waldorf salad'

   Due to my Tuna allergy, which ironically I only discovered thanks to Sat, I was unable to have the next menu course, so an alternative was provided for me. This was a take on Waldorf salad, so all the components of the famous salad but not as you would know it- salted apple, raisin purée, pickled grapes, celery mousse and granité and a walnut nougatine shaved over the top. A clever and tasty interpretation of well known flavours. (Sadly the wine, which was paired with the 'proper' dish of Jersey royals cooked in dashi, was a less successful match to my dish.)

Jersey royals-dashi-onion juice-ham

 Although I couldn't eat it, the gentleman next to me on the table was happy for me to take a photo of his. Sat let me taste the ham, which was developed under his guidance- an air dried and aged ham made from pigs local to his restaurant. Amazing smoky and earthy flavour, and a luxurious mouth-feel from the plentiful fat. Also, the onion juice which is distilled from onions, spring onions and garlic had a light green colour and pleasant allium flavour which I'm sure would have been lovely with new potatoes.

Spring lamb-leek smoked-charred

   For our main course, Shoulder of lamb cooked in a pressure cooker is topped with a ragout of the trimmings which have been gently stewed with kombu seaweed for richness and a hint of umami. The flavour of both is very pronounced, without having the heavy stickiness normally associated with braised meat. Combined here with a black purée of charred leeks, a piece of grilled leek, an ash goats cheese mousse and a lemon emulsion, this again was a nice summery dish, perhaps missing a bit more vegetable or even some starch? Although it was a seven course menu, this was a very light meal.
   The wine pairing for this dish was a Moss Wood Pinot Noir, from the mornington peninsula, and for my limited wine appreciation skills, it worked well despite the acidic cheese and lemon elements, with a bold flavour which didnt overpower.

Banbury cake-beauvale cheese-port syrup

   Next we had a brief food history lesson from Sat, where he told us about the Banbury cake, which is similar to the Eccles cake but pre-dates the Lancashire one by a hundred years. To match up the Eccles/Lancashire cheese pairing, Sat has used Beauvale blue cheese, from Cropwell Bishop, one of the finest Stilton makers in the country. Beauvale is a soft blue, similar in texture to a taleggio, but with the salty flavour you expect from a blue. With the cake and the syrup of tawny port, this was a lovely example of what Sat serves as a 'crossover' at his restaurant, bridging the savoury dishes with the sweet.

Banbury cake-beauvale cheese-port syrup

Chocolate-yoghurt-cumin-lime

   Our first real sweet course was a small but perfectly formed chocolate 'cake', cooked in a very low oven (Electrolux of course...) without a fan, to create a very gentle environment for the cake, which was more like a soft ganache than a traditional cake. On top was a delicate set yoghurt, and cumin caramel, micro coriander cress and freshly grated zest of lime finished the ensemble. Sat explained that at the restaurant, he always serves chocolate as the penultimate course due to the mouth-feel of chocolate, and he likes to finish with the palate fresh and clean. This was lovely, and would be a fantastic dessert on its own, rather than as part of a multi course experience, as the other elements helped counter act the chocolate.

Treacle sponge-lemon-pine

    Our final course was again simple looking, but a lot of technique went into it. The sponge was created using el Bulli's Albert Adria's technique of cooking sponge in the microwave after forcing the batter through an isi cream whipper for lightness. This results in a delicate sponge which takes flavour very well. A surprising element in the dish was parsnip, which has a natural sweetness and with the douglas fir pine and apples in the dish tasted great. Instead of a wine pairing, we were treated to a first for me- sparkling saké. This was yeasty and had a slight apple flavour which matched up superbly- a great choice.

beetroot parfait-white chocolate-raspberries

    One final treat was bestowed on us, Sat/s version of one of his childhood favourites- the mivvi ice lolly. This version was a beetroot parfait cased in white chocolate, and then dipped in chopped dried raspberries. The beetroot flavour was delicate, but held its own with the strong raspberry.

   All in all, this pop up by Electrolux has gathered some of the most talented chefs in the UK ( Daniel Clifford of midsummer house is up next) and Sat Bains has set the bar very high. Although never matching the amazing multi course extravaganza of his own establishment, with the limitations of being in a box several floors up from your prep kitchen, he has shown why he is so respected in the industry.
   I look forward to the opportunity to check out what the other chefs- Tom Kitcin, Daniel Clifford, Claude Bosi and the Sanchez brothers- get up to on top of festival hall.
   As for Sat, he has a book out in September, and from what he told me about it, you will want to own this book!

The menu 

Noma- still the worlds best?

Ok, we all know about Noma, right? Rene Redzepi, foraging, Worlds best restaurant, two Michelin stars, local produce and so on.

 I am a lucky so and so, and recently I made my third trip there, and was treated to my best meal there yet. I say best meal THERE, because although it is an amazing, one off kind of a restaurant, and rightly voted the worlds best (twice), I have had better restaurant experiences, but not many!

The food is certainly unique, I have never eaten live shrimp masked in a warm butter emulsion before. Similarly, until I reached Noma I had never been offered a mussel in a shell and told to eat the whole thing, shell and all. It is also the only place, to this day, where I have been served distilled tree sap as a beverage for with my meal instead of tap or bottled water.

All of these factors, and a whole lot more, contribute to a fantastic experience, as obviously there is so much more to a restaurant than the food. At Noma, more than most other restaurants, the whole team buy into the philosophy and food on offer. Each member of the team has an encyclopaedic knowledge of the dishes and provenance of ingredients, and that makes a real difference. How many times have you asked a waiter about an element of the food, only to have them say " I'll just check with chef"? This feeling that it is a team effort really sets it apart, and is a huge inspiration for me as a chef, to make sure that I train anyone working with me to know all there is to know about the menu. 

Having said all of that, and to reiterate my feeling that it is a fantastic restaurant, with the 2012 'worlds best restaurant' awards coming up on monday (30th april) the question has to be asked- is it still the worlds best?

To help make my mind up, and hopefully yours too, here are a sample of some of the dishes I was treated to this time, along with a little insight to how they are created, and what makes them magical.

As ever, the first offering is on your table before you are sat, although you wouldn't be aware of it. In the small vase on the table, amongst the foraged herbs and shoots, are a couple of flatbread branches, similar to a crispbread, shaped like a twig and deep fried, then sprinkled with juniper and pine powder, which resemble a moss covered fallen branch in the woods. This is explained to you as the waiter, or very often one of the chefs, bring some soured cream for you to dip into

 Pork scratching, with blackberry leather and smoked sea salt. the rind of the pork is salted, rinsed and steamed under vacuum, then dehydrated for several hours before being deep fried. This process makes the scratching very light, aerated and crisp. The leather is made by puréeing blackberries and spreading it out and dehydrating. the natural pectin makes it set into a chewy leather. A slightly unusual flavour pairing at first, but as you eat it everything comes together and works very well.

 Savoury cheese cookies arrive in the sort of tin box my nan used to use, and in fact Rene told us that the tin which contained our cookies was given to him to use in the restaurant by his mother-in-law, and it is the only piece of equipment used for service in the restaurant which doesn't come from Denmark.
The cookies themselves are made with a Danish hard cheese, and are short, crumbly and intensely cheesy, and topped with a mix of herbs including lovage and parsley.

 The live shrimps. I wont dwell on them too much, in case any of you are squeamish, however, the kilner jar filled with ice is brought to the table with a couple of very lively shrimp, and a small pot of warm butter emulsion, like a a mayonnaise made with beurre noisette. All I can say is, you will never get fresher than this! (for the record, I love it!)

 tiny potato cakes sandwiching a chicken liver parfait/mousse, sprinkled with a powder made from dehydrated trompette mushrooms. Sublime textures and flavours, very rich and an intricate assembly.

 One of the classics- crisp chicken skin, smoked cheese and lumpfish roe filling, and a ryebread crostini on top. Great salinity from the roe and chicken skin, and great textural contrast.

 Steamed oyster, cooked in the shell and then sliced,  the juices are made into a white wine sauce, and all served in the shell with air onions and salted green (unripe) plums. We were informed the onion and plum elements were quite intense and that the best way of eating the dish was to mix all the elements together so each mouthful has a little of everything.

 This was one of the highlights of the meal, Danish brown crab, steamed very slowly to keep it moist, and served with its own pickled roe, egg yolk cured in tea, nasturtium leaves and a broth made from sul, a variety of seaweed. the crab was very sweet, the roe and yolk very salty, and the broth had a strong earthy umami flavour, and the leaves were very peppery. Again, perfect balance, and great flavours.

 Straight out of the development kitchen, the perfectly formed pea dish. raw and cooked pea halves on top of a fermented pea mousse, a slightly jellied herbal tea broth surrounds them, and the petals from peach flowers and apple blossom are very precisely scattered on top. Although we were told our feedback was appreciated as it was a newbie, they knew, as they always do with new additions, that it was spot on. the different levels of flavour offered up by the pea elements were jaw dropping, and the match with the herbal tea and fruit flower leaves was incredible. so much flavour from such a simple ingredient.

 I can only imagine having to make sixty of these twice a day, every day! curvy crostini topped with salted cod roe and herbs, and a duck crisp on top- made from the skin formed on a cooled down duck stock and dehydrated. Go on- try it...

 Another classic, the hay smoked pickled quail eggs. The eggs are soft boiled, so the yolk is still runny, and then they are pickled in apple balsamic vinegar. Brought to your table in a large egg shaped container on a little smouldering hay, allowing a little more theatre to your table, as you open the lid and get a waft of the vinegary smoke.

 Shaved frozen cod liver (think of a rich, fishy foie gras), frozen kelp and caramelised milk crisp. Intense, different and tasty.

 Carrot and sorrel. This is a classic example of a Noma dish which looks like its been thrown together in a few minutes, but actually takes great technique, precision and a lot of time. The carrots get the waterbath treatment for forty minutes, and then are chargrilled over a very low heat for six hours, being turned every twenty minutes. The carrots are served on a thin film of charred hay powder, and a sorrel emulsion is served seperately, with the explanation to roll the carrot in the emulsion, then in the hay ash again. The tastiest carrot I have ever had, by some stretch.

 More vegetables, and this chunk of cooked cauliflower is grilled over pine, served with horseradich cream and a broth of seperated yoghurt whey, and pine oil. Once again unusual, but very tasty.

 Grilled langoustine, parsley and oyster emulsion, sprinkled with seaweed powder and served on a huge stone, from the same beach where the langoustines are sourced. Simple, elegant and great flavour. the huge seafood is dunked in the emulsion and eaten with the fingers.

Seven pickled vegetables, each pickled in its own vinegar and flavourings. Served with bone marrow and a jus made from pork rib bones. Perhaps unsurprisingly, each vegetable does have its own flavour and the combination of the pork jus and the marrow is incredible. A definite winner.

 Roast turbot, brought to our table for us to see mid cooking. then a few moments later, served with its own roe, celeriac and a broth of mushrooms and berries. A great dish, and very seasonal with the turbot in roe.(this only happens for one month in the year.

Sweetened rhubarb juice, raw rhubarb, fresh cheese, red sorrel (oxalis) and brown cheese, which is made from the caramelised whey, and has a sweet flavour and shortbread like texture. Again, simple, clean and very well balanced.

Grilled pear, raw pear, wild herbs, frozen aerated pine parfait, and a sauce of caramelised pear and aquavit. fantastic technique, and clean presentation. freshness from the herbs and the raw pear stop this being an overly sweet dessert. 

After dinner, and the obligatory tour of behind the scenes, we had some coffee and a few sweet treats including this toffee made from smoked bone marrow, and presented in the marrow bones and wrapped in brown paper. a great way to finish the evening.

All in all, there is much to praise and very little to criticise. We weren't the only people in the restaurant that evening, but at times it felt like we were, such is the warmth and talent of the staff. 

Over the course of the meal, we had around 28 offerings (its hard to call them courses, when often you are served several at a time, and they vary in size from single bite to a generous fish course kind of size) and we must have had at least 12 different members of staff serve us at different times, from commis waiters to Rene Redzepi himself and his head chef Matt Orlando, and each and every time one of them approached us, we had their undivided attention.

So, Noma. Are you the Worlds best restaurant? I dont know, but I have to say, if there is a better one, I want to go there now!

Roganic, Blandford street, London

Although Roganic is obviously the baby restaurant of Simon Rogan, it seems the Prodigous talent that is the head chef Ben Spalding, has really bloomed in his position at the helm of one of the most highly thought of restaurants on the London scene.

When I originally ate at the temporary Blandford street home of Simon's first foray into the capital, although Ben was in charge then as well, there was definitely a large slice of L'enclume running through the food (although admittedly, the place still had wet paint on some of the woodwork as it had only been open for three days...). Fast forward six months, and I certainly got the feeling that Ben has matured rapidly in his surroundings into a chef confident in what he is doing, and strong enough to allow his own passion for food shine through in his dishes.

Upon my arrival at Roganic, I am greeted by the familiar smiling faces of the front of house team of Sandia Chang and Jon Cannon. It was a chilly december lunchtime, and I was the first to arrive, but the room and the welcome were warming, and set the tone for the next few hours experience. A glass of dry, organic Prossecco to start the meal was offered, and it was the perfect partner to my opening nibbles, or canapes- squid ink cracker, celery leaf and smoked cream cheese- slightly salty, lightly smoked with a strong, but not overpowering flavour, and corned beef croquette, mustard mayonnaise- like the ultimate 'corned beef hash' (hope Ben doesnt mind the comparison), warming comfort food, which had the ability to revive memories and simply leave me smiling to myself, as I sat hoping someone would bring me a few more of them.

These canapes were a strong start to the meal, and like all the other courses I had, just the right size to get you excited, and leave you wanting one bite more. Thomas Keller wrote in the original French Laundry Cookbook that his theory was to do just that, which was why he introduced multi-course tasting menus there, and Ben has mastered that particular art.

An offering of bread was generous and highly tasty. Matched with the Netherend farm (Gloucestershire) butter, which is whipped and seasoned with Maldon sea salt and then smeared onto a large pebble from Folkestone beach, where Ben goes foraging for much of the sea herbs used at Roganic. The breads were chestnut flatbread, potato and buttermilk, irish sourdough and pumpernickel.

My first 'proper' course was 'millet pudding with grains, burnt pear and Isle of Mull blue'. Similar to a risotto, but with the millet giving an earthier taste, and the Mull blue cheese adding a salty piquancy, which balanced with the sweet pear to create a stunning opener. Dill oil and sea kale completed the dish, and the whole thing kept the smile on my face.

Next up in this marathon lunch (I had chosen the 10 course menu, figuring it was best to assess as many dishes as possible while I was there...) was the 'smoked braddock white, pickled roots, ox-eye daisy and salt beef'. While the description was quite a mouthful, the actual dish was also plentiful, and extremely tasty. The smoked egg yolk is smoked over applewood, and presented with a glass bell jar filled with the same smoke, so when it is removed at your table, the autumnal aroma of smoke and the visual appearance of the dish combine to make you feel like a child again, and when you cut into the yolk, and it has the texture of soft butter, its very hard not to smile.

The flavours are just as important as the appearance, and this is becoming one of Ben's signature dishes due to its intense, sweet, smoky flavour. lovely woodland textures make it very autumnal/wintery, right from the yolk to the tiny brioche croutons, everything there for a reason.

For my first fish dish, I was served 'roasted scallop, cured char, purple sprouting and chokeberry vinaigrette'. This was a very 'seaside' tasting dish, not as obvious as you think for a fish dish, as to encapsulate all the flavours of sea air you need salt, fresh fish, sweetness as well as a touch of acidity, and this dish had it all- the tiny choke berries cut in half had both sweetness and acidity, the char was so fresh it could have been still flipping when it was delivered that morning, and the fried onions which were part of the assembly gave a salty bitterness to the whole thing, which if you closed your eyes, would convince you that you were paddling in the sea. some of the broccolli was also in the form of a puree, and although not necessary, it certainly didnt harm the dish.

To follow that, I subconciously felt the meal couldnt possibly get better- I was wrong. A vegetable course of 'poached and grilled king oyster, pine, beetroot and coastal sea leaves' blew my mind. Not since 'Noma' had I tasted so much flavour in a dish without protein. To master this kind of cooking, and excite the palate with vegetables, shows that Ben is a man on the up. Mushroom puree and soil added to the mix to show off textural diversity as well as depth of flavour which you usually only associate with a plate of pork prepared several ways- really strong stuff. The addition of a single chicory leaf gave just enough bitterness to hold the flavour balance together. Pine is an ingredient which takes real precision, or it can overpower and leave everything tasting like a bathroom cleanser, this left a hint of freshness to the experience, and worked so well.

Moving on from my perfect vegetable dish, came another non-protein course-a sly addition to the usual menu, courtesy of Ben. This was the 'king richard leek, baked in red clay and rosemary'. Prior to serving, the Leek wrapped in clay was brought to my table on a steaming pile of rosemary inflicted soil, for me to see how the leek is baked. A nice touch of theatre to the course.

Once the plated leek came to my table, it was also accompanied by a plate of truffles, which once the dish sat in front of me, Jack - one of the front of house team- proceeded to shave over the leek. Believe me when I say that Jack ain't shy with the truffle! All that truffle, combined with a toasted pine-nut puree, shallot jam, kale and a rich truffle cream sauce to enhance and bring the best out of the fine tasting leek. As anyone who has tried it will testify, leek and truffle is a marriage made in heaven, and this was pretty much as good as it gets on the leek/truffle pairing.

At this point, I realised that here I was, sat in a full restaurant, on my own, smiling. I looked around, and everyone else was smiling too, some of them barely noticed the food in front of them because of their dining partners, but I had by far the biggest grin on my face because I was giving the food the attention it deserves.

As I sat and smiled like a madman, I was served my next offering-yet again vegetable based, but no worse off because of it. This was the 'caramelised cauliflower, sour cream, raisin, gilled lettuce and yarrow'. Intense, almost charred cauli, with its pickled brother (reminiscent of piccalilli), dried powder, raisin puree and fried yarrow which was bitter but in a good way, combined with the grilled heart of a little gem lettuce to do a tricky vegetable well. Cauliflower is a great accompaniement, rarely the main attraction. coupled with the attractive presentation, another winning meat-free course.

As descriptions go, 'Mr Little's yeltholm gypsies' leaves a lot to the imagination, especially when followed up with 'cooked in chicken fat', but trust me when I tell you, this potato (the gypsy) was like the worlds best roast potato, VERY meaty from the chicken fat, just at the point of being cooked, and paired with very complimentary ingredients- sliced snow peas (an ingredient I have never had an affection for, but this worked), crisp chicken skin, pea shoots and a strong clam juice sauce. The slight bitter note on the chicken skin was perfect, and I was told the dish had its origins in a dish from L'enclume, Which can only be a good thing, as this was sublime. Another one of those courses where I wanted more.

Returning to the fish front next, a lovely dish of 'dab, baked in fennel salt' this was deceptively simple in presentation (again), and packed full of flavour. Brought to me with some Morecombe bay shrimps, grilled baby leek, charred sprout leaves and parsley root, this favoured the delicate, moist dab with intense flavoured vegetables with a herbal balance and fresh taste of the garden.

Time for my final savoury course, and wasn't it a good one! '72 hour (three days!!) braised short rib beef, carrot, salsify and redcurrant' said the menu. and thats exactly what i got, with the addition of sea buckthorn leaves and a few caramelized silverskin onions. Having played with long braises on beef before, I know the rewards are worth the wait, but this was exceptional, tender, sticky meat, rich sauce, sweet and sharp berries, and earthy vegetables all balanced together and the whole dish was spot on. Being so rich, you felt that a larger portion could have been too much, but once again, the balance was exact. My favourite beef dish all year- up to that point (Alyn Williams that evening just pipped Ben to that title!).

Before moving to the sweet courses, a refresher of Iced ginger beer and juniper cake was ushered to me. Not a classic palate cleanser, but damned tasty. the ginger and juniper were a great combo, if a little strong in the aftertaste. For my taste, a little lime or other citrus may have just toned it down a little. (my only slight criticism ofthe whole meal)

Another bit of at-the-table theatre next, with the warm salted chocolate mousse element of the ''warm salted chocolate, toasted almonds and heritage apple sorbet' being added to the plate by Sandia from an isi whipper. The mousse, and the dish as a whole, was magnificent, again balancing salt, sweet, fruit and the slight bitterness of the toasted almonds to the precise point of ultimate pleasure. Unmentioned, but vital to the dish were some dice of a medicinal tasting pear. genius on a plate. Heritage apple sorbet was intense, and very sweet to go head to head with the chocolate and hold its own. Prior to this course, my arm was twisted (honest) into a glass of late harvest chenin blanc to accompany my desserts, and boy was I glad I did. The wine had a very Sauternes-like taste, with a hint of spice and more than a little honey. It could have been made just for this dish.

My final full dessert course (nearly there!) was 'bilberries, dried caramel, natural yoghurt and iced lemon thyme', but once again, it was far more than the sum of its parts- the bilberries came as a compote/jam, and a very crisp glass like tuile, the yoghurt was a sorbet, sharp and sour and great with the bilberries. Dried caramel turned out to be a powder, made with a tapioca starch called maltodextrin, which has the property to absorb fat to create a powder, which returns to its former state in moisture, so when you eat the caramel pwder, you get the warm, gooey caramel you started out with. Throw in the lemon thyme ice, in the form of a granité, and you have another fine course, a perfect (if there is such a thing) end to an amazing meal.

As I said, that was NEARLY the end of the meal, I had one more surprise, in the form of a warm 'petit four' of douglas fir milkshake, white chocolate and walnut cookie. This was simple, yet very tasty. lighter than you expect from a milkshake, but at the end of a long lunch like that, it was spot on. the cookie-also served warm- gave a texture and nutty edge to it.

Despite so many courses, I wasnt bloated stuffed or feeling the pinch of my belt, I was satisfied and happy, which is the magic of Ben's menu- every detail has been planned, and balanced to make sure whether you have the three, six or ten course menu, you are at the same point- pleasurably fed.

Thinking about what people look for when they eat out, several things came to mind- attentive service, good food, inventive and creative food, a relaxed atmosphere, fresh food, location and value for money. Roganic tick all those boxes. They also tick several more, which is why it is such a bust restaurant. If Simon Rogan gets to the end of the two year life of this 'pop-up', and doesn't continue elsewhere in london, it will be a tragedy.

Ben- thank you. Thank you for this meal, and all the others I hope to have at roganic, and also thank you for signing a menu for my best mate!