Philip Limpl appointed head chef of Levan

Levan restaurant in Peckham, south east London, has appointed Philip Limpl as its new head chef. The restaurant, which was co-founded by Mark Gurney, Matt Bushnell and Nicholas Balfe, is named after the trio’s favourite DJ, the late dance music pioneer, Larry Levan.

Limpl, now aged 28, began his career in Austria at just 14 years old. He trained at a cookery school in Feldkirch, as well as time spent in Schruns, a mountainous region where he combined classic French techniques with alpine cooking. More recently, before joining Levan, he was working with Philipp Inreiter in Copenhagen where he was head chef at Kona, Inreiter’s Japanese restaurant, and sister space to the popular, Slurp.  

Levan, which will be celebrating its 5th birthday this year, is continuing its signature style of French ‘bistronomy’ under the guardianship of Limpl, who will draw inspiration from his Austrian heritage and his experience of Japanese cookery.

To welcome the chef, Levan will be bringing back its popular Chef’s Menu – a curation of his favourite dishes and specials. The menu will change on a monthly basis and is priced at £55 per person with an optional additional wine pairing.

The new menu incudes fried pig’s head and mustard; sea bream ceviche, leche de tigre and rhubarb; mushroom tortellini, dashi broth and peas; pork, aubergine, cavolo nero and anchovy; caramel, rice pudding and passionfruit; and petit four.

Limpl’s cooking style is ingredient-led, and the chef is keen to train the team in nose-to-tail butchery. Their latest a la carte menu features venison tartare with chicken skin and wild garlic; mussels, xo butter and potato flatbread; smoked eel en croute with szechuan pepper; lamb breast, carrot and morel; grilled hispi cabbage, smoked butter and egg yolk; choux bun with koji ice cream and hazelnut; and Yorkshire rhubarb with pannacotta and sake.

(Image: Nic Crilly/Hargrave)

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