Dish in Focus: Farmhouse Productions tomatoes at Roganic
Roganic restaurant is one of the leading lights on Hong Kongโs sustainable dining scene: its farm-to-fork approach has earned it numerous awards, including a Michelin Green Star. Since opening in 2019, the restaurant has prioritised locally sourced ingredients and zero-waste menus.
In February, Roganic moved to its new, upcycled premises at Lee Garden One in Causeway Bay. The decor has changed, the menu has changed, but one constant is head chef Adam Catterall, who has been in the kitchen since day one. From sous chef to head chef, over the last six years he has worked alongside founder Simon Rogan to push the boundaries of sustainable gastronomy in our city.
Roganicโs new location at Lee Gardens in Hong Kongโs Causeway Bay. Photo: Jocelyn Tam
One way the restaurant does this is through maintaining strong relationships with local suppliers โ working closely with growers and producers who farm regeneratively and are environmentally conscious. Catterall says, โA lot of guests are shocked to find out that such amazing produce can actually grow in Hong Kong. Itโs always great to see how our diners react โฆ when we explain where all the ingredients come from.โ
The menu at Roganic changes according to seasonal availability of produce, and the names of dishes highlight local suppliers. The Farmhouse Productions tomatoes in perilla and coal with fermented pistachio, for example, uses cherry tomatoes from the eponymous farming collective based mainly in the New Territories.
โWe were inspired by the outstanding quality of the cherry tomatoes here in Hong Kong, which enjoy a relatively short season,โ explains Catterall. โThe idea of including other ingredients from the farm expanded into incorporating farm herbs and flowers, and vinegars made from purple perilla, also from Farmhouse Productions.โ
Adam Catterall, head chef of Roganic in Hong Kong. Photo: Handout
One of Catterallโs favourite dishes, this appetiser is entirely vegan โ something he describes as โa happy accidentโ. As the chef explains, โThe balance of the dish works really well without โฆ animal fats or protein.โ
