The owner of a recently-closed Hackney favourite is due to open a new restaurant featuring an “elevated” menu, bold décor and hot pot Sundays.

Julian Denis, who founded Mao Chow in 2017 before shutting down the popular restaurant last month, will be opening his new 28-seater on March 11.

Called Facing Heaven, named after the Sichuanese chilli which appears across much of its menu, the establishment will benefit from a larger kitchen space, enabling the team to experiment with more complex dishes than at Mao Chow.

Also on display will be a greater reflection of Julian’s multicultural background. Growing up in LA with a Puerto-Rican/Haitian dad and a Portuguese mum, the menu will be incorporating flavours ranging from these influences to a variety of regional Chinese cuisines, such as Cantonese, Yunnan and Shaanxi.

Carrying over elements from Mao Chow, not only will Facing Heaven be completely vegan, its décor will also shout as loudly as Julian’s previous restaurant. Black and white chequered flooring and a low-lit setting will be paired with aesthetics such as an eclectic range of seating options, including McDonald’s-style yellow tables.

The focus menu-wise will be on sharing plates and a feasting-style experience, including a weekly “Hot Pot Sunday”, with Chinese steamboats used as alternatives to a typical Sunday roast.

On the decision to open Facing Heaven, Julian 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 adds that he wants 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.”