Chef Daniel Rogan has relaunched his Southampton restaurant AO with a new open kitchen, refurbished dining room, refreshed menu – and enhanced backing as part of his father Simon Rogan’s Umbel Hospitality group.
AO – which takes its name from Daniel’s children’s initials – originally opened in Hampshire in 2022, transferring into Southampton last year. The chef trained initially at his father’s famous flagship L’Enclume before honing his skills in prestigious London kitchens including Marcus Wareing at The Berkeley and Restaurant Gordon Ramsay in Chelsea.
Simon, who is himself originally from Southampton, now presides over a mini-empire created over the past 25 years that includes a farm in the Lake District and restaurants as far afield as Hong Kong. Umbel is a more recent vehicle he set up to help the rising generation of chefs, providing finance, marketing and administrative support to independent venues including Skoff in Manchester.
Father and son marked AO’s accession into Umbel with a sold-out Rogan x Rogan collaboration over five days at the restaurant, which follows in the Rogan tradition with its focus on seasonality, sustainability and close relationships with local producers. Suppliers include Chalk Stream Trout from Hampshire rivers Test and Itchen, as well as Country Fare and Aurox, all chosen for their commitment to quality and provenance.
Current dishes include Chalk stream trout served with wild garlic, cucumber, dashi and dill; Brixham monkfish with kalettes and chicken butter; and Milk-cured beef from the New Forest with purple sprouting broccoli from Our Farm – Simon’s farm in the Lake District. Desserts include New Forest strawberries and sweet cicely.
Dinner is served in a choice of 5, 7 or 10 courses costing £65 to £125, with a 3-course lunch menu at £39 available on Thursday and Friday. All menus are available with wine and non-alcoholic pairings, selected by sommelier Brooke Lawry.
