An exclusive dining experience is migrating from one of the UK’s top restaurants to Australia’s iconic Bathers’ Pavilion in Sydney.
Sydney’s Bathers’ Pavilion will host a five-week residency with three-Michelin starred L’Enclume, the UK’s best restaurant, and chef, restauranteur and farm-to-table pioneer Simon Rogan.
From Wednesday 19 July until Sunday 20 August, Rogan will showcase one of the world’s best dining experiences on the shores of Balmoral Beach in the iconic restaurant.
L’Enclume, French for anvil, celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2022 and was awarded its third Michelin star. Rogan decided the Northern England experience needed to go further afar and has chosen to decamp from the 13th-Century blacksmith workshop in Cartmel in The Lake District in Cumbria, to arrive on Australian shores.
He will be adapting some of L’Enclume’s renowned dishes to incorporate local and native ingredients from farms and fisheries located close to Sydney.
“Winning Three Michelin Stars at L’Enclume is a culmination of 20 years of work and evolution by a group of dedicated chefs and front of house specialists,” says Rogan. “The Sydney residency marks a big milestone for us as we enter our third decade and our boundary-pushing team could not be more excited to share our strong sustainability ethos and serve up some of our favourite L’Enclume dishes using the outstanding local ingredients unique to New South Wales and Australia.”
His dishes are about layers and complexity of flavour, creative produce sourced with a sustainable ethos, he says, adding that part of the joy of any dining experience is the environment and atmosphere.
“Even though the setting at Bathers’ Pavilion on Balmoral Beach couldn’t be more different to Cartmel, it feels so similar in its sense of beauty and uniqueness,” Rogan says.
The 8-course menu with snacks and petit fours will be special, but also the crockery will be handmade in Australia.
Joining Rogan will be Oli Marlow, Executive Chef of Roganic and Aulis London and Hong Kong, and Sam Ward, Managing Director of Simon Rogan restaurants worldwide, alongside other key members of the UK team including up to eight chefs, a sommelier and four front of house.
Guests can expect small, precise and complex dishes which give prominence to the concept of the perfect ingredient – a philosophy at the centre of everything Rogan strives to achieve based on the notion that it is only through growing the perfect vegetable, herb or fruit for example, that one can create the perfect dish.
“Produce is our driving force and Australia has some of the best in the world,” Rogan says. “We are looking forward to experimenting with ingredients we haven’t had the opportunity to work with before and cooking them simply to highlight their natural taste, texture and fragrance and extract maximum flavour and interest.”
Rogan’s sommelier team will develop a comprehensive wine list and expert wine pairings to match the Australianised menu. There will also be an exclusive cellar list with the option to pre-arrange rare vintages and bottles prior to the booking date.
The Bathers’ team including Tom Sykes, Bathers’ Pavilion Director of Operations, Head Chef Cameron Johnston, and Restaurant Manager Jessica Mead will travel to the UK in April to work with Rogan and his team at L’Enclume and in the Aulis test kitchen housed next door on menu development and service style.
Jessica Shirvington, co-owner and Managing Director of Bathers’ Pavilion said: “This residency has been years in the making, having made our first trip to Cartmel to meet with Simon in late 2019. Despite Covid delays, our joint commitment to deliver this world-class dining experience to Sydney never waned, it only grew stronger. Simon is unquestionably one of the UK’s most influential chefs and he and his L’Enclume team have continued to go from strength to strength.”
Booking will open at 10am on Tuesday 14 February via the Bathers’ Pavilion website of by phone. Sign up to the Bathers’ Pavilion newsletter for news and updates about bookings.