SIMON ROGAN at home
There it is. On our doorstep. Always best to capture some photographic evidence for DPD in case they insist that they have failed to deliver!
Judging that common sense could be under threat after ‘Free(dumb)dom Day’ we took the risk-averse decision to cancel eating out plans to celebrate our 45th Wedding Anniversary and instead ordered Simon Rogan’s three-course ‘at home’ dining experience for July. I give full credit to Mrs Cheoff for researching, choosing and ordering the whole glorious thing. Glorious? Indeed. Very nearly completely. Bit of a spoiler there, I guess. This hugely elevated ‘meal-deal’ has already been recognised as the ‘Best Michelin Starred At Home Food Experience’ in the UK. We were treated to great food which produced regular bouts of appreciative grinning and occasional vocal outbursts which could easily have been associated with energetic activities other than eating! I’ll expand on the absence of total perfection when we get to the pudding.
“Details of preparation are provided with your meal alongside a QR code to scan and watch our chefs instructions to give some plating inspiration.” So says the restaurant website. We had opted to add the wine pairings. QR codes will also take you to descriptions by Valentin Mouillard, Head Sommelier at L’Enclume. All the videos simply reinforce the notion that you are in the hands of consummate professional hospitality. Of course the full experience of a physical visit is necessarily absent but you still get a deliciously distilled sample of what might lie in store at any of Simon Rogan’s restaurants.
I tried to predict the wines before opening. Given the starter’s ingredients, I went for white Rioja. Close, but perhaps too rich. I had correctly targeted Spain but concede that the Galician offering was just right to cut through the delicately earthy potatoes and fishy fattiness of the dish.
I would not have identified the red chosen for the main. I have seen Xinomavro favourited and extolled on social media. Our red wine intake has reduced slightly over the years. This was a terrific reminder to keep exploring them. A powerful but blissfully mellowed out treat.
We managed to combine enough vintages to exceed the years we have been married by finally opening a ‘sweetie’ we had hung on to for more than long enough.
I’m so glad we trusted in the Wine Flight recommendations. Sensibly restrained in alcohol content but making a big impression in the midst of much food distraction.
Silice, Ribeira Sacra, Albarino blend, 2018 11.5%
Xinomavro, Markos Markavitis, Naoussa, 1997 12.5%
Különleges Minöségi Édes Bor, Tokaji Aszú 5 Puttonyos 2000 11.5%
Small but carefully formed packages are opened and you begin to get some idea of the pleasures in store.
The cooking instructions are so simple that we had plenty of time to set the scene for a relaxed evening of dining
SOURDOUGH BREAD, WINTER TARN BUTTER WITH MALDON SALT
Gently warmed bread was made even more tasty with generous spreading of sumptuous and satisfyingly salty butter from Winter Tarn Dairy.
CONFIT JERSEY ROYALS, SMOKED EEL, WHIPPED COD’S ROE AND PARSLEY
Apart from the potatoes and cress, all elements of our starter were a challenge to my wife’s food likes. But only before eating. Each mouthful was met with Mrs Cheoff’s consideration and assessment and followed consistently by full approval. I had always looked forward to this dish but I hadn’t expected to have my own enjoyment of it doubled by her positive reaction. Food fears, preconceptions and reservations all cleverly and deliciously banished.
A fine beginning.
PORK BELLY MARINATED IN MISO, PICKLED RAISIN, KOHLRABI AND HAZELNUT
This is what a great kitchen does. A plate where the reasons for each inclusion are perfectly understood.
Your only real task is to produce some decent caramelisation on the pork. The pressed belly is just one of a few humble ingredients here but it works together with everything else to achieve perfectly balanced complexity. Fatty pork, sweet onions and acidic raisins, soft and bitter kohlrabi and a deeply umami/meaty sauce get a scattering of biscuity nuts to complete a wonderful spread of intense flavour and textural variety.
The parsley and lovage oils were both a little weak on flavour for these two opening courses but the attention to detail and wealth of interest on both plates crushed that fact into insignificance. Please forget I said it!
RUM BABA, CARAMELISED PINEAPPLE AND GINGER CRÈME FRAÎCHE
My photograph hints at the shortcomings of our dessert. The syrup was rather thin and hadn’t pushed a developed caramelised flavour into the pineapple.
The cake was certainly airy but it would be a good idea to add more of the syrup if it seems dry. The raw alcohol could jangle many palates in the absence of balancing sweetness. Best to get that balance right at the sponge soaking stage.
The ginger cream was spot on. At once fiery and cool.
A dessert which was oh-so-right on paper but still needed tweaking to deliver on the plate*.
Immediately after that I should put proper perspective on our Simon Rogan at home experience. We are privileged to have ordered a few other top-class meal boxes. All of them have been a great success. So, despite reservations about the dessert here, it must be stressed that we enjoyed this entire meal as much as we have any of the rest. I say ‘we’ did. Mrs Cheoff insists I tell you that she enjoyed it more than any of the others!
*Generous feedback from Umbel Restaurant Group has since confirmed that home cooks might like to review and adjust the ‘sogginess’ of their sponge if deemed necessary. There is certainly enough syrup in the pouch to do so. My best advice is to concentrate on the undeniable satisfaction with which this meal surrounds you and to be a bit less picky than me!
We had already discarded ideas of cheese. Instead we polished off the champagne which had started the evening as our apéritif.
All that remained was a choice between watching ‘Mamma Mia!’ for the seventeenth time or brushing up on techniques for consummating our marriage. My only - and most ambiguous - clue as to which of those prevailed has to be “Dot, dot, dot!”
No. Stop it. All that truly remains is to thank everyone at Simon Rogan’s kitchens who were involved in the thought and work which went into giving us such a memorable feast.
While the link is valid you can see what to order for yourself by clicking the image below. Highly recommended. Please leave at least one spot for our next order!
Don’t call it rubbish - it can be recycled!
