Julien Jouhannaud appointed executive chef at Langan’s

Julien Jouhannaud has been appointed executive chef at Langan’s in London’s Mayfair ahead of its reopening on 30 October.

He joins from Annabel’s where he held the same role and worked under Langan’s chief executive Graziano Arricale. Jouhannaud also previously worked as executive chef at Le Bilboquet in New York, Alain Ducasse’s Adour in New York and Washington DC and at the Harbour Grill restaurant at the Hilton Singapore.

Highlights from his French and British-inspired menu will include starters such as spinach soufflé with anchovy and hollandaise sauce as well as a half dozen Burgundy escargots with garlic and herb butter.

Main courses on offer will include a grilled Dover sole; Langan’s fish pie for two; and beef tartare. Adjacent to the ground floor dining room will be a raw bar offering British oysters; a plateau de fruits de mer for two; prawn cocktail and dressed Cornish crab, as well as Kristal or Oscietra Prestige caviar.

Jouhannaud said: “I am thrilled to be embarking on the dream venture with the Langan’s team – it is already such a celebrated name in the hospitality industry and my aim is to ensure that the reimagined restaurant will be as renowned for the innovative food as much as it is for what occurs behind the hallowed doors.

"Offering all-day dining, I have worked hard to ensure that my signature style shines through whilst remaining loyal to past favourites which have been curated with a more contemporary palate in mind.”

The relaunch of the restaurant is being overseen by Arricale, former operations director at Richard Caring's Birley Clubs and head of the Chucs food and beverage operating team, and managing director James Hitchen, founder and former chief executive of East Coast Concepts.

Originally founded by Irish restaurateur Peter Langan in 1976 in partnership with actor Sir Michael Caine and chef Richard Shepherd, Langan's redefined the London dining scene in the 1970s and 80s and was frequented by the likes of Princess Margaret, Elizabeth Taylor, Muhammed Ali, Mick Jagger and Elton John.

With a reputation for eccentricity and raucousness, stories abound of an inebriated Langan nibbling guests' ankles, expelling those deemed too ‘boring', and even extinguishing a kitchen fire with vintage Champagne. Langan died tragically in a fire in 1988 and Shepherd bought out Caine's share of the business in 1999, before selling his shares in 2012.

Oakley Capital founder and managing partner Peter Dubens was understood to be privately backing the relaunch.