Roganic, the Hong Kong Green Star restaurant helmed by Chef Simon Rogan of the three-MICHELIN-starred L'Enclume in the UK, brings its acclaimed culinary experience to Taiwan for an exclusive six-week pop-up. Hosted by chef Richie Lin, founder of the MMHG Restaurant Group—which includes the MICHELIN-selected restaurant MUME—this event offers a remarkable farm-to-table dining experience that highlights the essence of sustainable cuisine.
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Established in 2019, Roganic became the first restaurant in Hong Kong to be awarded with a MICHELIN Green Star. Richie (right) first connected with Roganic’s team at the Sustainability Champions Collaborative in Hong Kong, where he met chefs who shared his commitment to sustainable practices, paving the way for this Taiwan pop-up.
Creating a Roganic pop-up in Taipei that embodies its "sustainability" ethos relies on close collaboration with local teams and extensive planning.
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The pop-up takes place at baan Taipei, a restaurant under the MMHG Group, which has transformed its exterior with Roganic’s signature green signage for this special event. Throughout the pop-up, baan will recreate Roganic's innovative approach by setting up a mini herb garden in the courtyard, where they cultivate nasturtiums, mint, and Lemmon Marigold to ensure the freshest ingredients are used in their dishes. Additionally, Roganic has brought its entire front and back-of-house team to provide an authentic dining experience, delivering the same quality of service as found in their original venue.
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Challenges of Transplanting Sustainable Ethos in a New Environment
In addition to fully replicating the environment, team, and atmosphere, there are challenges in truly embodying the sustainable ethos of Roganic , particularly regarding the use of ingredients.
Two months before the event, the team visited Taiwan to familiarize themselves with local ingredients. To accurately incorporate the flavours of these ingredients into their dishes, Roganic employs a distinctive communication approach. Eliza Lo, the procurement manager and “ingredient hunter” for the MMHG group, explained that Roganic has extensive experience in recipe management and organizing events in various locations. “The recipes provided by Roganic even include the biological names of the ingredients,” she noted. Recognizing that vegetables can have different names and subtle variations in appearance across different regions, using their biological names aids in the precise identification of suitable local ingredients.
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"We prepared several types of cruciferous vegetables for the chefs," shared Eliza Lo. Executive Chef Adam Catterall and Sous Chef Mark Catchpole (hero image) tasted and were captivated by the balance of bitterness and sweetness in these local vegetables, ultimately choosing mustard greens and broccoli for their dishes. Thanks to the precise descriptions in the recipes, the team was able to seamlessly substitute ingredients in Roganic’s menu with premium produce from Taiwan.
Sustainability is core to Roganic's philosophy, exemplified by their dedication to local ingredients. Adam noted that one standout ingredient was smoked mullet roe—a distinctive Taiwanese product with international appeal, as it is also appreciated in Italian cuisine. Paired with grilled baby corn, the roe’s deep, savory flavour serves as a bold opening to Roganic’s culinary journey in Taipei.
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At Roganic Hong Kong, the team embraces local ingredients, often selecting Hong Kong’s yellow-feather chicken, duck, and pigeon for main dishes, reserving traditional English roast beef for festive occasions like Christmas. In Taiwan, Roganic has adapted by using locally sourced ingredients, showcasing dishes like Yunzhang Ranch’s 21-day aged sirloin paired with fermented garlic, roasted beef bone, and a rich smoked bone marrow sauce. Yunzhang Ranch, located in Yunlin, produces premium Taiwanese beef, aged to tender perfection and served medium rare. The accompanying sauce, with its deep roasted flavours and umami-rich black garlic, brings a bold, rustic dimension to the dish.
Incorporating Taiwanese Flavours and Bringing New Dimensions to the Menu
Incorporating local Taiwanese ingredients has transformed Roganic’s original recipes with fresh nuances. The dessert inspired by an English trifle, for example, has been reimagined as "Figs from Chuanghua with Frozen Man Mano Ricotta, Chamomile and Alishan Bee Pollen." Instead of strawberries, juicy autumn figs from Taiwan shine as the main element. Adam particularly enjoyed the layered sweetness of bee pollen from Alishan, harvested from a variety of local blossoms, which now enhances the dessert’s fluffy cake base. This regional adaptation not only respects Roganic's culinary philosophy but also adds a distinctively Taiwanese character to the menu.
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Beyond the food, the drink offerings have also been inspired by Taiwan’s unique flavours. Mixologist Priscilla Tam was particularly impressed with the rich, aromatic taste of Taiwanese passion fruit. “It’s unlike the passion fruit we taste in Hong Kong,” she shared. This discovery led her to create a clarified juice that combines Taiwanese passion fruit with cold-brewed Longjing tea. The fruity aroma enhances the drink’s appeal, while the tea’s light bitterness perfectly balances the richness of the red-spotted grouper and its deep, flavorful sauce, offering a refreshing contrast that’s both satisfying and palate-cleansing.
In addition to utilizing local ingredients, Roganic places a strong emphasis on whole-food utilization, creatively transforming high-quality components into innovative dishes while minimizing waste.
A standout menu item, "Truffle Pudding Glazed in Longan Honey with Dunkel Stout Reduction," exemplifies this philosophy. In Hong Kong, this bread pudding is crafted from leftover bread sourced from Roganic’s bakery. For the menu in Taiwan, it features the region’s rich longan honey, infusing the dish with a distinct local flavor and giving the bread a delightful new life.
Another innovative dish, “Nantou Heirloom Tomatoes with Fermented Sunflower, Chilled Tomato Juices Infused with Lovage” features a sweet consommé crafted from fresh tomatoes, paired with a creamy paste of fermented sunflower seeds. The tomato skins and trimmings from this dish are not wasted; instead, Priscilla Tam, the restaurant’s assistant manager and mixologist, repurposes them to create a smoked tomato kombucha fermented with Lapsang Souchong tea. The tea's natural smokiness enhances the drink with layers of flavour and subtle hints of longan, resulting in a refreshing and memorable sweet-sour beverage. By incorporating tomatoes into both dishes and drinks, Roganic showcases its whole-food philosophy.
Roganic also creatively embraces plant-based elements, such as the XO sauce made from mushrooms grown in urban farms. In Taiwan, this sauce is adapted using locally sourced coral mushrooms, reinventing a traditionally meat-based condiment to highlight rich umami flavours that reflect Adam’s deep appreciation for Chinese cuisine.
“Taiwan's abundant mountains and oceans provide an impressive variety of ingredients,” Adam shares. “Locally sourced ingredients also mean freshness, minimal transportation, and exceptional flavour.”
With a focus on farm-to-table practices, use of local ingredients, and inventive whole-food and plant-based dishes, Roganic delivered a sustainable dining experience that celebrates the unique tastes of Taiwan.
Images courtesy of the restaurant.
