Eating out is about more than just food. Often, the design of the venue is given just as much consideration (if not more!) than the meal itself. With the Eat-Drink-Design awards – an event which supports innovation and excellence in the design of hospitality premises in Australia and New Zealand – closing for entries on Friday, we decided to take a look at five noteworthy restaurant designs from across the globe.
TREE Restaurant – Sutherland, NSW
Inspired by HANAMI – the traditional Japanese festival of the Cherry Blossom in bloom – this sushi restaurant introduced a tree-like form to the centre of their premises. Subtle lighting hidden in between each of the tree’s ‘branches’ further adds to the atmosphere, with the tree itself intended to represent both a protective canopy for diners, and act as a metaphor for nurturing the business.
GRAB Thai Street Kitchen – London, UK
Don’t be fooled by this ordinary-looking shop frontage – GRAB provides a far from ordinary design experience indoors. Through utilitarian building materials such as timber pallets and corrugated steel, GRAB uses interior design to reference the authentic Thai street food culinary experience that their kitchen aims to recreate.
Sushi Tei – Sydney, NSW
We couldn’t do a list about restaurant design without mentioning one of our own projects! In this central-Sydney sushi restaurant, we decided to turn the sushi train itself into the main design feature, further
emphasised by suspended tubular lighting over the sushi bar seating. Traditional features such as a sunken seating area were introduced, along with a sliding timber screen for privacy.
Wahaca – London
London’s ever-popular Southbank area is always busy, but what to do when all retail spaces have been rented out? Mexican Tapas chain Wahaca overcame this issue by building a new restaurant out of shipping containers, introducing both a unique design element and yet another culinary option to the area.
Tianmen Mountain Restaurant – Guilin, China
Located on the edge of a river, this restaurant aims to create a unique culinary experience by ‘combining the natural and manmade environments’. The large glass walls mean you can’t miss the view from any point in the restaurant, and certainly contribute to the restaurant’s aim. The area is popular for sightseers, but its relatively remote location mean this one is unlikely to become your ‘local’