The client brief was to create a stand-alone Japanese restaurant in line with the brand concept and, given the cuisine and the style of service, it needed to give the feel of an authentic Japanese restaurant.
A signature feature of Inakaya is a long dining counter, where fresh ingredients are cooked on an open flame in front of an audience, so the guests can enjoy be a part of the overall cooking experience.
One of the design challenges the team faced was the limitation of the front-of-house space; the kitchen demanded a large portion of the space, leaving a limited capacity of 42 seats indoors. Stickman proposed building a glasshouse to increase the seat count by 54 and, in turn, generate more revenue.
“Traditionally you aim for more restaurant than kitchen. Being a destination restaurant, however, the kitchen demanded a 70/30 ratio — far from the industry norm,” shares Cain.
“We proposed a sleek glasshouse to increase the seat count. The design, MEP (mechanical, electrical and plumbing) and acoustic teams all had to work together to find clever ways to work around the services, ceiling drops and sound travel without compromising the overall design of the restaurant,” he continues.
There is a private dining room for guests who prefer a more intimate dining experience. This room features sliding screen doors that can open the room up if necessary, a tiger graphic etched in timber as the backdrop and an overhead feature of 2,000 sake bottles hanging from the ceiling.
Guests who dine outdoors or within the temperature controlled glasshouse have unrestricted views of the creek.
“Most of the design was custom-made for the space, however, the outdoor furniture from Kettal could not suit it more. Like the restaurant design it’s sharp, elegant and simple,” comments Cain.
“We pride ourselves on being 100% bespoke. We tailor everything specifically for each project without a cookie cutter design in sight — something a client expects when they come to us.”
On the subject of how hospitality design has changed over the years, Cain says that the F&B industry is evolving to suit the new target market of millennials.
“The previous generations were all about luxury and grandeur but this one is less interested in pomp and more interested in what’s casual, cutting-edge and efficient.”
Click here to see more photos of Inakaya in the April issue of Caterer Middle East.
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