Julian Denis to launch Facing Heaven following Mao Chow closure

Julian Denis is set to launch a new site with the opening of Facing Heaven, which will open its doors in London mid-March 2022, following the closure of his renowned Hackney site Mao Chow.

Named after the Sichuanese chilli, Facing Heaven is situated just around the corner from the original Mao Chow HQ, which Denis opened as a permanent residence in Hackney in 2019. 

An evolution of Mao Chow, the new 28-seat restaurant will “stay true to its essence” but with “a more matured feel”. It will offer Chinese food coupled with inspiration from Denis’s American upbringing, alongside natural wines, craft beer and baijiu cocktails. 

The menu will contain influences from a broader range of regional Chinese cuisines, namely Cantonese, Yunnan and Shaanxi, while flavours and techniques from Denis’s multicultural upbringing in LA will be reflected through Puerto-Rican, American and Portuguese influences. Everything will also be entirely vegan.

With a focus on sharing plates and feasting-style family dining, the menu will be centred around the use of fresh, seasonal vegetables, spices and chilli.

Menu highlights will include Spicy And Numbing Twice Fried Jerusalem Artichokes with Green Chilli Dip and Stir Fried Blood Sausage with Lacto Chilli and Fresh Garlic to start, followed by sharing dishes of Dongpo Cauliflower and a Whole Sizzling Aubergine.  

Every weekend, Facing Heaven will be hosting ‘Hot Pot Sundays’, with Chinese steamboats as an alternative to a traditional Sunday roast.

Denis said: “The success of Mao Chow has been overwhelming, and a huge learning curve. Having a kitchen space which literally used to be a coffee shop counter inspired and challenged us every day, but it also had its limitations. 

“It forced us to be more creative and direct in our approach, simplifying dishes and taking them back to their core. The kitchen at Facing Heaven will be bigger, so naturally we can use more cooking techniques, which in turn means the menu will be elevated and just overall better thought out.”

He added: “I also want the new menu to reflect my own personal heritage by combining the foods and flavours I grew up around with the Chinese recipes that I know and love.

“A lot of people think I’m just a “white guy” cooking Chinese food but my Dad is Haitian and Puerto-Rican, and my Mum is Portuguese – add that to growing up in California, I’ve been lucky to have always had so many different cultures around me.”