Although it may look a canteen somewhere in south-east Asia, this informal restaurant is actually located in central London.
Completed by designers ‘i-am’ Associates, who are based in the London borough of Hackney, the East Street restaurant has illuminated advert-style signs hanging from the ceiling.
It's furnished with long wooden tables, patterned stools and brightly coloured chairs., while condiments are presented on the tables inside plastic baskets.
Food products for sale are arranged on green-painted bookshelves with brown paper labels, behind a series of tables and chairs by Swedish furniture brand Massproductions - see our earlier story about the collection here.
See more stories about restaurants and bars here.
Here's some more text from the designers:
East Street is the latest project by Nick Jeffries and David Fox, founders of restaurant chain Tampopo, and offers a diverse and unique take on Pan Asian cuisine, inspired by the pair’s own food discoveries during their travels across East Asia.
‘i-am’ Associates were appointed during the evolution stages to help develop and build a completely new brand identity for the launch of East Street in London. This included the creation of a new name and logo, graphic elements and complete interior design for the site.
We took bold steps to ensure that East Street had a solid brand proposition that resonated with their customer base. The tone of voice is friendly, warm and open the core value was to create a Pan Asian food odyssey. The sourcing of staff, the creation menu’s and the overall delivery of the brand message had to be unified and relate to the brand values of food and travel.
Everything was a direct take on travel, specifically Asia. We wanted to emulate the raw vibe of a South East Asian market and street cafe. From the very beginning we didn’t want to lose sight of how intimate the restaurant should feel, you should be totally immersed in the street market experience. The long benches and plastic tables recreate the feeling of being sat in a busy café in Hong Kong or Vietnam under a low glow of light surrounded by the sights and sounds of the kitchen.
Nick Jeffery and David Fox of Tampopo comment, “To launch a new restaurant in an already overcrowded London restaurant community you have to demonstrate diversity and a clear point of difference. With East Street, ‘i-am’ have helped us to create a brand identity and values that are instantly recognisable from moment you enter the restaurant right down to the service and the food and drink consumed.”