Three Michelin-starred English restaurant L’Enclume to take up residency at Bathers’ Pavilion, Sydney
After three years of COVID-interrupted negotiations and planning, chef Simon Rogan’s three-star restaurant L’Enclume, from the UK, will open at Bathers’ Pavilion for five weeks from July 19. It is the largest restaurant stay in Australia since Noma founded. store in Sydney in 2016.
Rogan and around a dozen of his team members will move to Australia from Cartmel in Cumbria, on the border of the Lake District, for what is more of a takeover than a pop-up.
“They don’t dial it in; Simon brings out the A team,” says Bathers head chef Cameron Johnston, who will travel to the British restaurant in April with other senior staff to immerse themselves in the famous L’Enclume culture . .
“Our front of house will overshadow their service. It’s all in,” says Bathers co-owner Jessica Shirvington. “We make crockery (for the residence) in Australia.”
The restaurateur says they only flew over in December 2019 to meet the L’Enclume team. Then COVID happened.
The benefit of the delay is L’Enclume’s continued rise over the past three years. Had this happened in 2020, as planned, Sydney would have had a taste of a two Michelin star restaurant.
The turbot course at L’Enclume. Chef Simon Rogan is looking forward to using Australian fish and shellfish at the pop-up. Photo: Chris Barnett
Last year, it received its coveted third star, making the restaurant – which knocks out dishes such as pork biscuits and smoked eel, and the signature “Anvil” dessert of caramel mousse with fir, miso and apple – the only restaurant at that rare. level in the north of England.
An unabashed fan of Sydney’s Quay restaurant and Victorian eateries including Brae and Attica, Rogan told Good Food he had always “had the ambition to do something in Australia” and was already tapping his network for advice on produce .
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“I’m good friends with Clare Smyth and I spoke to her about it. Oncore was a huge success in Sydney,” he says.
“Obviously, the fish and shellfish are very different from what we have, so I’m excited to use the products I experienced on my last visit – mud crab, freshwater marron, etc. I have a pop-up at Yan in Singapore done, and many of the vegetables came from Australia, and they were of excellent quality, so I’m looking forward to using them again.
“Whenever we go anywhere, we immerse ourselves in the area, and really try to connect to the area through our food. Sustainability is a big part of our ethos, and in the Lake District we grow as much as possible of our ingredients on our own farm.”
With a small stable of restaurants spanning London and Hong Kong, Rogan is able to pluck senior talent from different parts of his empire for the Sydney gig.
A strawberry dish made with hyper-seasonal produce. Photo: Chris Barnett
“It’s definitely a big event for us as the L’Enclume residency at Bathers’ Pavilion runs for five weeks. Luckily we’ve got a great team of amazing chefs to call on and we’ll have a number coming from Cartmel come down. , London and Hong Kong to make up the brigade,” he says.
And the price? At $420 (eight courses), it’s a significant investment for diners, but cheaper than the tasty menu at the Cumbrian original.
Bookings will open on February 14 at 10am, by phone and the Bathers website.
L’Enclume’s Beet Course. Photo: Chris Barnett
Open lunch Tue-Sun, dinner Tue-Sat from 19 July to 20 August. Private dining available for a group of 12-15 diners at each sitting.
4 The Esplanade, Mosman, 02 9969 5050, batherspavilion.com.au
