People love a counter. It’s one of the modern-day restaurant trends that are sweeping the nation, like small plates and wood-fired cooking. At Aulis, the One Star London outpost from revered L’Enclume chef Simon Rogan, you will find a counter experience of the most wonderful kind. It provides an intimate, “chef’s table” experience with a lengthy tasting menu; the kind of concept that is very difficult to do well, but that has been pulled off here with absolute aplomb. Personable, theatrical and downright delicious, it’s a special dining experience that will linger long in the memory. We asked a MICHELIN Guide Inspector what exactly has made Aulis such a success.
Arrival
Hidden away in Soho, Aulis is not the easiest restaurant to find. Its black-painted façade isn’t immediately obvious as you stroll down the narrow lane on which it’s located. Yet once you’re inside, a whole world of delights awaits you – as our Inspector found out…“When my fellow Inspector and I arrived, we were very warmly greeted by Head Chef Charlie Tayler. We were then sat in the bar and offered an aperitif; I chose Simon Rogan’s own Anvil Pale Ale, while my colleague had a ‘Marine’ non-alcoholic cordial with tonic. Snacks were then served, which gave us a taste of the gastronomic pleasures to come.
“Once the last of our fellow diners had arrived, everyone was shown through to the dining room, which was dominated by a simply gorgeous slate counter. All diners (never more than 12), were seated here and the evening began in earnest. The décor was stylishly minimal and I loved the spot-on subtle lighting which helped the experience to feel intimate and relaxing.”
The Team
In line with its kitchen counter approach, everything at Aulis is led by the chefs. This style of dining puts the onus for serving onto them, rather than a traditional service team. When our Inspectors visited, there was one manager/sommelier out front and the rest of the service was all led by Charlie. As one of our Inspectors explains, this was a roaring success.“Beyond the food itself, the success of a chef’s table experience like Aulis hinges on the personalities of those chefs. Every one of them here, led by the relaxed and smiling Charlie, was genial, professional and knew their dishes inside out. As each course was served, the chefs exuded genuine pride in describing every detail of their make-up, from where the ingredients had come from to which variety of tomato they were using. The more theatrical elements of the dinner, like the juice pairings some of our fellow diners ordered, were also handled with great skill.”
The Cooking
The menu at Aulis is of the surprise variety, a multi-course tasting experience that’s constantly being tweaked depending on the produce available. That link between grower and chef is, our Inspector suggests, crucial to the restaurant’s success.“At Aulis, working in tandem with the land is in their DNA. A great number of the ingredients come from 'Our Farm', an organic farm in Cartmel launched by Simon Rogan to feed L’Enclume, Aulis and his other restaurants. L’Enclume, the flagship of his operation, has been awarded a Green Star in recognition of this sustainable approach. At Aulis, the chefs are in constant dialogue with the farmers, finding out which ingredients are at their peak and then working with them. While there are some highly creative touches to the cooking, it is this unerring attention to and focus on the produce that characterises the Aulis culinary approach – and yields delicious results!”
The Dishes Tasted
Our Inspectors tried so many dishes during their visit to Aulis that to list them all in depth would be interminable. However, here are a few that particularly impressed one of our Inspectors and summed up the essence of the cooking.Snacks
“Setting out the stall for the entire evening, the snacks were exacting, delicate and downright tasty. Rather than being served on one tray, these were delivered one by one, each by a different chef who explained their creation with pride. As is often the way with a canapé, two of these little morsels were tartlets: a delicate gooseberry version had raw sea bream tartare as its base and came with a colourful floral garnish, plus a dressing of intense coal oil; the other featured a case made using the skins of fuseau artichoke, with more of the artichoke cubed and used as the filling alongside whipped ragstone cheese, tarragon and the subtle addition of stout."
“A slightly richer snack came in the form of a light, golden doughnut, which was generously filled with lightly smoked Devonshire eel. A wafer-thin slice of house-cured lardo on top was a great touch, and the final flourish of Petrossian caviar was equally successful. Also in the more substantial vein was my favourite of the snacks: the truffle pudding. A variant of a dish served at L’Enclume, this consisted of croissant-like pastry glazed with sap and topped with a generous helping of Corra Linn cheese. The final canapé was a cleansing one: intense sungold tomato water with a kick of lovage and a delicate, leaf-shaped biscuit.”
English Seaweed Custard with Tendons, Oscar Peas, Pickled Quail’s Egg and Roasted Beef Broth
“What I loved so much about this dish was the way it demonstrated the kitchen’s ability to respond to their suppliers. One of the chefs explained to me that Our Farm had started keeping quail, so they decided to incorporate pickled quail’s egg into this chawanmushi-like dish. The use of English seaweed in the silky, well-seasoned custard was another fine example of the restaurant’s ethos of using the best of British produce rather than venturing abroad.”
Orkney Scallop Cooked Over Embers, Fermented Borage Honey, Hunter F1 Squash and Kelp
“Beyond being of unquestionable quality, the Orkney scallop gave Chef Charlie the opportunity to inject some theatricality into the meal. Much of the preparation is done in a separate kitchen, with the dishes finished off in front of diners behind the counter. For the scallops, a Japanese grill was brought into the front and Charlie cooked the scallops before our eyes. The smell was incredible and with a central component this good, the dish was sure to be a hit.”Malwina Strawberries, Bee Pollen Cake, Lemon Verbena Cream and Sweet Herbs
“I have long been a lover of fruit-based desserts and this one was a reminder why. Again using produce grown on Our Farm, the dish was propelled by the fabulous natural flavours of the malwina strawberries. The macerated berries were joined by the honeyed flavour of the bee pollen cake, a well-judged amount of lemon verbena from the cream and a few sweet herbs. A fine sugar tuile to finish the dish was a reminder of the kitchen’s precision and technical skill.”
Conclusion
“Aulis is a restaurant defined by two things: its theatrical counter set-up and its relationship with Our Farm up in Cartmel. Both things are not just easy gimmicks or buzzwords, but executed with real depth and commitment. Restaurants like this, with the onus on the chefs, only work if their service is engaging, well-paced and enthusiastic. Cooking like this, where the focus is put on the natural flavours of the ingredients, only works if the produce is of the utmost quality and the chefs work in harmony with their suppliers. In all these respects, the team at Aulis pass with flying colours. As we left, Charlie and the team thanked us and presented everyone with a sealed menu and a pot of seaweed salt – it was a lovely final touch in an evening that was full of such highlights.”Hero Image: Gooseberry Tart with Raw Sea Bream Tartare at Aulis (© Cris Barnett)
