D&D London appoints Timothy Allen as head chef of Launceston Place

D&D London has appointed Timothy Allen as head chef at Launceston Place following the departure of Tristan Welch who left the restaurant last month.

Allen joins the Kensington restaurant from the two-Michelin-starred Whatley Manor in the Cotswolds, where he spent seven years under head chef Martin Burge. He previously spent four years with John Burton Race, first at L’Ortolan and then at the Landmark.

Commenting on his appointment Allen said: “This is such an amazing opportunity for me, to move to London and take over such an enduring restaurant is both thrilling and inspiring, and I look forward to putting my own stamp on the menu here.”

D&D London managing director David Loewi added: “We are very excited that Timothy has taken the helm at Launceston Place. He is a chef of huge skill and experience, and we look forward to him making his mark at Launceston Place.”

Welch, who took over the reins at Launceston Place in 2007, left to take time out to be with his family in Sweden as his wife is expecting another baby.

Separately D&D London will be looking to replace Jeremy Lee at the Blueprint Café who left the restaurant at London’s Design Museum in December 2011 to join Sam and Eddie Hart’s Quo Vadis in Soho.

D&D London has a number of new openings in the pipeline for 2012, including two new restaurants in the City of London located at the Grade II-listed Old Bengal Warehouse off Bishopsgate. The company will launch two eateries, a steak/chop house and a fish restaurant, as well as a wine shop at the 10,000sq ft development, which forms part of the Devonshire Square Estate.

The company will also open two further sites in the City - a new café at the Royal Exchange shopping centre, where it already runs Restaurant Sauterelle and the Royal Exchange Grand Café, and its first hotel. Located at South Place, the hotel will include 80 bedrooms, meeting and private-dining facilities as well as a ground-floor bar and grill and a rooftop restaurant.

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D&D London to launch two new restaurants in the City of London in 2012 >>

By Kerstin Kühn

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