Tucked away in the heart of Soho, the latest from Simon Rogan provides an intimate chef's table experience with more than a slice of theatre. Renowned for the three Michelin-starred L'Enclume in Cartmel, as well as Rogan & Co, and many others he's bringing his menus to the capital. L'Enclume has become such an icon of contemporary British cuisine that many are willing to make the long trip to Cumbria just to soak it in. For Londoners who want a taste of Rogan's cooking but without the journey, Aulis is about as close as you're going to get.
That said, Rogan is not the one cooking here - Aulis is currently presided over by one of Rogan's star proteges Charlie Tayler. Booking a spot at Aulis isn't as simple as nabbing a table - this is a restaurant with just twelve seats, where the experience of watching and interacting with the chefs as they prepare your food is an intrinsic part of the meal. The space is minimal, the chef's table doubles as an open kitchen and takes centre stage, allowing Tayler and the team to talk you through each dish as they prepare it. Elsewhere, plush leather seating in the adjoining lounge provides the perfect spot for a drink or two before dinner.
Menus change as new ideas come on stream, and dishes are highly reflective of Rogan's farm-to-fork ethos, using lots of produce from Rogan's own Lake District farm. Diners can expect intriguing combinations like crispy chicken skin with whipped liver and sorrel, ox in coal with bone marrow and pumpkin seeds and Creedy Carver duck with offal ragu, beetroot and preserved elderflower. Seafood gets a similar treatment, so you might see mussel and seaweed custard with beef tendons and caviar or Orkney scallop with buttermilk and smoked pike roe sauce. Even humble vegetables are elevated to heady heights, so you could enjoy roasted maitake mushrooms with toasted yeast and sticky egg yolk.
The tasting menu is accompanied by a selection of wine pairings and other drinks packages.