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For his farewell column, our long-time critic has a meal to remember for all the right reasons
At the start of my tenure in this column almost two years ago, I was asked one question so often that it began to drive me a little nuts. That was, "Have you seen The Trip?" meaning those films of Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon on a tour of fancy restaurants in the north of England. My irritation had nothing to do with the programme in itself; rather, the problem was that Brydon is sane, funny, solvent, sufficiently interested in food to go to several posh restaurants in a row, and can take several weekdays off in a row to go eating. In my experience, that person doesn't exist. I have sane friends, solvent friends, foodie friends and friends who can take time off in the week, but I don't know one single person who ticks all those boxes. "That show is a lie," I would snap at those who asked about it. "Rob Brydon doesn't exist!" They'd back away, avoiding sudden gestures.
For my final review on these pages, therefore, I wanted to visit one of the restaurants descended on by my nemesis in The Trip: L'Enclume, in the pretty Cumbrian lowland village of Cartmel. Coogan and Brydon had some laughs at the expense of the complicated cooking. They weren't the only ones: Simon Rogan, the chef, was until a few years ago a devotee of denaturing, experimental molecular gastronomy in the style of El Bulli, at the time the most famous restaurant in the world. Then he abruptly switched to super-seasonal, location-driven food, featuring foraged and under-used ingredients. In other words, in the style of Noma, the new most famous restauant in the world.
Eyebrows waggled at this change of direction. I would say, though, that Rogan's new identity isn't a matter of fashion, but the discovery of a vein of cooking that perfectly allows him to express his talents. The previous incarnation of L'Enclume might have been an impersonation of something, but this new one feels like Rogan himself, at the top of his game, cooking a no-choice, 12-course (or 16, if you count the excellent nibbles) tasting menu. Venison tartare comes with a citrus marinade that gives it astonishing complexity and depth, set off by dollops of mustards and candied fennel. That doesn't sound right, but it was extraordinary. It was also the only red meat we had; Rogan's interest in sustainability is apparent throughout the meal, which has a lovelysense of harmony and rhythm across its many courses.
There were so many highlights that all I can do is pick out a few. Kohlrabi dumplings in a monkswell cheddar sauce, garnished with fresh peas and apple marigold, was a stunner of subtle umami flavours. Scallops with spiced strawberry and a wonderful sauce of caramelised cauliflower for, again, a lovely umami note. Guinea hen is served with a textured sauce of offal that's full of small chunks of the bird's unfashionable bits. A great idea, heavy on flavour and interest – not easy to do with guinea hen.
All of this – and I'm leaving out much more than I'm describing – had a balance and cohesion across the courses, with none of that sense you sometimes get that the cook is trying to jump from one high spot to another, to make an incoherent CD of greatest hits. This menu flows in a mellow sequence, with no abrupt changes of direction and a lovely sense of accumulating effect.
I've heard reservations about the atmosphere at L'Enclume; it can be a bit hushed and reverential, with an edge of Royston Vasey. My visit wasn't like that at all; the room was a bit bare, perhaps, but it had a real energy during service. In other words, L'Enclume was all good, with one truly strange qualification: it didn't display prices, at any point – not when I booked, not when I checked on the website and not on the menu (not least because there isn't one). It's Rogan's restaurant, so he can go freestyle if he wants, but displaying no prices is excluding and antidemocratic: it sends signals that, if you don't already know, you are in the wrong place. (As it happens, it's £89 for all those courses.) I don't understand this in a restaurant that otherwise works so hard at doing the right thing.
• L'Enclume, Cavendish Street, Cartmel, Cumbria, 015395 36362. Open lunch, Wed-Sun, noon-1.30pm; dinner, Mon-Sun, 6.30-9pm. Tasting menu, £89 at dinner; wine and service extra.
• This article was amended on 7 July 2012 to correct the spelling of Rob Brydon's name.