At the start of this year, London bid farewell to one of its restaurant greats: Over 55 years since its first opened, La Gavroche shut its doors for the final time. Less than six months later though, Michel Roux is back with the launch of Chez Roux at The Langham London.
This isn’t the first time Roux’s name has appeared above a restaurant in The Langham, however. In 2010, he opened Roux at The Landau, which served French-inspired dishes in a grand dining room. However, the restaurant failed to re-open after Covid-19, and the space has now been taken over by Mimosa.
Roux’s latest partnership with the hotel has emerged just over the hallway. Taking over the hotel’s grand Palm Court space – which will still serve The Langham’s iconic afternoon tea by day – Chez Roux is a move away from the Roux family’s classic French style of cooking.
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Instead, it is inspired by Roux Jr.’s upbringing in rural Kent at the Fairlawne estate, where his father Albert Roux worked as a private chef during the early 1960s, before he opened Le Gavroche in 1967.
“I have such fond memories of growing up at Fairlawne, where my father spent seven years cooking for the Cazalet family,” he said. “Dad had to learn the great British classics but used all his French technique and skills.”
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“When my parents had to cook dinner parties, the wife of the head butler, Mrs. Bradbrook, would babysit, introducing me to the wonders of great British desserts such as crumble and custard, and steamed puddings. The menu at Chez Roux is inspired by these early memories,” he added.
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Chez Roux’s launch menu is nostalgic and intentionally unpretentious. “There’s nowhere to hide,” he said at the restaurant’s launch. “Just great ingredients, simply cooked.”
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Stand-out dishes include Roux’s take on Welsh Rarebit, made devilishly rich with stout and Montgomery cheddar, and just balanced with a dash of pickled walnut; Scottish Buccleuch beef fillet with peppercorn and cognac sauce; Cornish lemon sole with capers and brown shrimp; and, the star of the show, a vanilla rice pudding doused in redcurrant coulis and crystalized pistachios. As well as a la carte, Chez Roux offers Michel’s Tasting Menu – a five-course set menu with an optional wine pairing.
The wine program follows a similar England-meets-France vein – champagnes are on the list, but happily preceded by English sparklings from Hambledon Vineyard.
Chez Roux, The Langham, 1c Portland Place, Regent Street, London, W1B 1JA, langhamhotels.com
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