Going for Green

SIMON ROGAN's visionary approach of cooking in tune with nature is inspiring chefs in Asia to be more sustainable.

- Victoria Burrows

The first bite in the early summer menu at Aulis Phuket, the new chef's table by Simon Rogan, is a guava and pomelo tartlet, stuffed with cured giant trevally sourced from a local fisherman.

The fish loin is drizzled with coal oil, lending a smoky flavour, while zest from calamansi, which is grown in the restaurant's garden, adds sharpness. There is an emulsion of oysters sourced from the neighbouring province of Surat Thani, and snappy pearls of pink finger lime from Chiang Rai.

The generous heap of pomelo kernels that tops the dish is dressed in lime juice and fish sauce made from trimmings of the trevally. The particularly sweet and juicy variety of pomelo, tubtim siam, has geographical indication status and is grown only in southern Thailand.

While the dish is undoubtedly European in conception, the softly chalky tropical notes of the guava and the bright sharpness of the citrus bring the sunshine of Thailand to the plate. The tartlet is not only something to eat; it is also an ethos: putting classic European cooking techniques to use on local, seasonal and organic ingredients. Aulis Phuket is located in Iniala Beach House in southern Thailand's Phang Nga province, so high-quality Thai-grown ingredients sourced as close to the restaurant as possible are what make it onto the plate.

THE FARMER CHEF

Rogan has honed his approach to cooking over the last two decades at L'Enclume, housed in a 13th century blacksmith's workshop in the village of Cartmel in England's picturesque Lake District. The restaurant was, in 2022, finally awarded three Michelin stars after having two stars since 2013. Since opening L'Enclume in 2002 with a team of five - two at the stove, two in the dining room, and one kitchen porter - Rogan now has around 200 staff in the Lake District spread among four restaurants and a shop. He also has an Aulis - his chef's table brand - in London.