A Taste of the Exotic

 

With the rise in popularity of exotic long haul holiday destinations comes a new trend in the restaurant industry; and Vietnam and Mexico have featured recently in the client list of du Boulay Contracts.

In April we completed a restaurant for Pho, based in Brighton – the fourth in the group and their first outside London location. Inspired by the street food of Vietnam, the design for the restaurant emulates the simple, fresh qualities of Vietnamese food and the contemporary atmosphere found in all Pho restaurants.

Spread over 4,500sq ft the 130-seat restaurant includes a bar overlooking an open kitchen as well as table and booth seating in the main dining room and an outside terrace. The main bar is constructed from dark red Pyrolave and the table tops are built from “Plyboo”, a revolutionary composite material made from bamboo.

We are currently on site for the next Pho in Wardour St, Soho. This restaurant is due to open in August.

Also completed this year was the fit-out of Wahaca in Canary Wharf, the Mexican restaurant whose inspiration comes from a love of honest fresh Mexican market food and the colour and vibrancy of the Mexican street market.

The slatted timber canopies stretching over the seating area are made in part of roughly split chestnut and softwood designed to give the feel of hot sunshine percolating down to a Mexican market stall. Reclaimed floorboards and treated metal cladding line several walls, the staircase is made from folded steel plates which leads up to the balcony which overlooks Canada Square Park. The restaurant also features banquette seating formed from highly polished concrete and upholstered in soft leather, bespoke artwork on the walls and glass discs concealing uplighters to add an extra sparkle to the ambiance.