Chef Dom Taylor launches The Good Front Room at The Langham following TV competition triumph
Taylor opened The Good Front Room on Saturday (15 July), having been named the winner of the TV cooking competition, which saw 13 professional chefs battle it out for the chance to open a restaurant in high-profile hotel, the night before.
The Good Front Room takes the space previously occupied by The Langham’s Palm Court restaurant and is described as combining influences from Taylor’s Caribbean heritage and his south London upbringing.
Dishes to feature on the menu will include Jerk chicken with plantain jam, plantain crisp and blackened sweetcorn dressing; curry goat with fried breadfruit and roti; banana leaf-baked sea bream with lemongrass, pimento and ginger; and a toasted spiced bun dessert with sweet blue cheese, sour cherries and spiced plantain chutney.
Drinks will include a selection of cocktails designed to pair with the food that include a Piña Verde with Chartreuse, pineapple, coconut and lime; a Sorrel Cosmo with Grey Goose Citron vodka, sorrel and ginger; and a Carrot Cake Punch with Wray & Nephew rum, Zacapa 23 rum, carrot juice, coconut, vanilla, nutmeg and clove.
“It is a dream come true to open a restaurant at such a prestigious address as The Langham,” says Taylor, who previously worked as head chef at both the Belgraves Hotel and The Courthouse Hotel in London.
“The modern Caribbean menu we are serving at The Good Front Room brings something totally new to the world of five-star hotel dining in London, and I’m excited to get cooking.”
Five Star Kitchen: Britain’s Next Great Chef broadcast its final episode on Channel 4 on Friday, where Taylor was crowned the competition’s winner. The show - which was filmed last year - may return for a second series, it is understood.
Michel Roux Jr, who oversees The Langham’s bars and restaurants, led the judging panel alongside pastry expert and consultant Ravneet Gill and Rare Restaurants chef Mike Reid.
“With Five Star Kitchen, we set out to find a hidden gem of a chef with an original vision to revolutionise five-star dining and to launch an exciting new restaurant at The Langham,” says Roux Jr.
“Dom’s concept is personal, it’s what makes it unique, and after many months of planning and getting everything ready for the launch, I can’t wait for the first guests to try The Good Front Room.”
The Good Front Room will be open for an initial six months, although it is understood that may be extended should the project be a success.
An interview with Dom Taylor and Michel Roux Jr will run on Restaurant later this week.
