Simon Rogan reveals more details about Claridge's restaurant
Simon Rogan's new restaurant at Claridge's will not carry his name, with the two-Michelin-starred chef hoping that he can create a legacy at the site that endures after his tenure there ends.
The news that Rogan was taking over the restaurant vacated by Gordon Ramsay earlier this year was revealed this morning.
Speaking to Caterer and Hotelkeeper, Rogan said he expected the new venture to have the L'Enclume "DNA" running through it. However it will have an a la carte and a smaller menu than the ones currently served at L'Enclume, where diners graze over several hours.
"We have been talking for some time and have some exciting plans on the table," he said. "There's the 80-seat main dining room and then the 25-seat private dining room and other nooks and crannies and hopefully it will develop into a more open space. I hope to leave a legacy here that lasts beyond me hanging up my apron so it won't carry the Simon Rogan name.
"Ever since Gordon Ramsay announced that he was leaving Claridge's, I secretly hoped I would get a call. It's a massive challenge, but it's a very slick, world-class operation and I'm sure it will make me a better person and a better operator. They'll certainly keep me on my toes."
Rogan also revealed that Dan Cox who currently heads up the development kitchen, Aulis, for Simon Rogan, will move to London to become executive head chef of the Claridge's outpost.
Produce for the Claridge's restaurant will be brought down two to three times a week from Cumbria, where Rogan and his team have been secretly going about the farm, quadrupling it in size. Aulis has also doubled in size in the past few months.
"When we closed Roganic we knew it would have to be something really special. Then having worked with the Midland, and seen how well that has gone, I knew I wanted to do the same sort of thing.
"I feel like I have signed for Barcelona but get to play for Real Madrid and Bayern Munich at the same time. It's every chef's dream," Rogan said. "I think it was very important that a British chef followed Gordon Ramsay. I had been yearning for it - whether it was me or someone else - that such an iconic British hotel should have a chef in place that is a beacon for British excellence."