This week You! takes a look at a well-designed restaurant, recently opened in Islamabad...
Restaurants are places of good times and great food. The best dining experiences take place in restaurants that are impeccably designed. A good interior design can do as much for a restaurant as good food can.
The decor in your restaurant is just as important as any other aspect as it sets the tone and mood for the evening. A well-designed restaurant won’t distract from the food, and especially not from the conversation. Instead, it will subtly contribute to one of those memorable evenings when everything clicks: the meal, the service and the warm vibes. Think about it for a moment. If you want to go out on a romantic date night with your partner, you wouldn’t feel the night was ‘romantic’ if you were sitting in a restaurant with uncomfortable seating, outdated pictures, and lighting that was too bright, now would you? This means that atmosphere and decor of a restaurant is as crucial as food. In short, the interior design of a restaurant or cafe will play a key role in its success. Think about all the trendy and popular restaurants. Customers don’t go there for the food alone. They go there for the ambience, the surroundings, and the overall impression that they get when they eat there.
Recently opened restaurant ‘Little Asia’ by Farooq Owais offers its clients good food in a serene environment. The glam launch took place in Islamabad a few days ago hosted by owner Farooq Owais and organised by Rezz Aly Shah. The event was a glittery affair as the red carpet was hosted by gorgeous Nadia Hussain; Dania Shaikh, Aqsa Ali and Kanwal Illyas. At the occasion Mr. Owais who also launched Coffee Republic in Pakistan said, “The idea to open ‘Little Asia’ is to give the best of Asian cuisine to the people of Islamabad with taste quality and out class ambiance.”
The restaurant is designed by Ifran Naveed and Saad Kureshi of Architects Inc. While talking about the concept Irfan says, “China Town meets Soho; a fusion you could only hope to come across in New York has been sophisticatedly conceived by the creative team at Architects Inc. The restaurant boasts a broad Pan-Asian menu and a unique dining experience with an experimental and daring use of patterns, colours, materials and elements. You are at once transported to a new level of the restaurant-going experience altogether.”
Designed on modern lines, the restaurant has a seating capacity of about 40-45 people. Plus they have a private room, which can accommodate 15 people. The designers have kept a cozy look with dark wood flooring and warm lighting. According to Mr. Owais, “Little Asia is driven by a philosophy that incorporates providing the best possible service to all our customers with the commitment to serving the highest quality food and promising a visionary restaurant design.
“As for the walls we selected a few famous Chinese & Thai quotations on the love of food that we got imprinted on the wall, which ended up looking pretty cool,” he adds.
Realising the importance of quality services and marinating high standards Mr. Owais has hired qualified and trained staff for ensuring smooth running of the restaurant. “We perform weekly training sessions for all our staff where they strive to learn how to continuously improve on customer service. We even have specialized consultants who come in and inspect the quality on a regular basis,” tells Mr. Owais.
Mr. Owais also shares some interesting decor tips with our readers, “If you are going to open a new restaurant it is never wise to use gaudy or large décor as it can detract from your restaurant altogether. You should choose decor that is soft, simple, and does not draw all of your customers’ attention. When designing a restaurant interior, it is essential to select a colour palette that is both captivating and appetizing. When it comes to decorating the interior of your restaurant, take it seriously and spend some time deciding what you truly want. When you settle on a theme or concept, make sure that it shines through - this way, your customers have no doubt about what you are trying to accomplish.”
Talking about his future plans Mr. Owais says, “Right now we are offering Chinese and Thai food. Our plan is to expand Little Asia’s menu to Japanese cuisine as well. We are open to the idea of a franchise in Karachi as long as they share the same philosophy as ours.”