FOCUS 057
Project
Colonel Saab London
Te journey begins with a radiating LED sun wall, soft pendant cloud lights, and Gaudi-inspired wave seats of blue mosaic that represent the parting seas, introducing visitors to the fundamental elements of nature involved in food growth. Next, families are led to a laboratory-inspired botanical hand washing station, highlighting the importance of hygiene as well as the antibacterial properties of plants like lavender and rosemary. A tiled pizza oven, draped with bright red infinity mirror periscopes that showcase fruit and vegetables, sits in the centre of the Family Kitchen, where children will learn about how food is made, where ingredients come from and how to recognise and name the different foods that make up their meals. A pizza topping station allows children to select their own ingredients. Finally, families will enter the large, deep magenta dining zone furnished with an oversized Enset tree and giant apple seat, surrounded with mirrors, illuminated foliage and colourful seating.
Te journey’s zoning approach also follows the theme of the earth’s four seasons, with applicable colour stories and textures characterising the different sections and seating throughout the restaurant. Elsewhere, restaurant colours draw from the natural hues and tones of each season, functioning both as wayfinding and playful decor. Jonathan Mizzi, director at Mizzi Studio, said: ‘Our goal has been to design a space that celebrates nature and learning, helping to make children and parents excited about food growth, hygiene and preparation. Trough colour, texture and wild nature-inspired form, we have created a space that brings families closer to the roles of the elements in nature, to seasonality and the overall journey from plant to plate.”
hok.com |
lumsdendesign.com |
mizzi.co
COLONEL SAAB is an authentic and unique, luxury Indian dining concept in Central London created by entrepreneur Roop Partap Choudhary, who has carefully crafted the menu and art-filled destination as a ‘love letter’ to his family and India.
Te modern restaurant is located in the former Holborn Town Hall and the menu – covering breakfast to dinner – and artworks are a homage to Choudhary’s travels across India with his mother and father, Colonel Manbeer, who was given the honorific name ‘Colonel Saab’ (from which the restaurant takes its name), while serving in the Indian Army. Te menu is inspired by places Colonel Saab was stationed and Choudhary spent a year retracing his father’s footsteps across India with Indian food royalty, Karen Anand, to curate contemporary twists on dishes passed down through the generations, with many specialities appearing for the first time on a London menu, alongside some of Anand’s signature dishes. Choudhary explains: ‘My father’s decorated career led to postings across India, tasting an array of delicious and varied regional food, from traditional local lunches in the tents of Rajasthan to British-inspired Indian breakfasts in the officers mess and stunning banquets hosted by Indian nobility and maharajas. Travelling with them as a child taught me so much about different ways of life in India and the powerful role food plays.
‘I wanted to celebrate these diverse cultures and introduce the capital to the authentic flavours and textures, which are lovingly prepared at homes, street markets and royal kitchens across India.’
Above Colonel Saab’s dining room is bathed in light cast from a canopy of ornate chandeliers from Firozabad
Downstairs, a grand, pure silver door from a Gujarat temple greets visitors, while upstairs features a carved temple door from southern India. Te dining room features a canopy of ornate chandeliers from Firozabad. A drinks bar made by Asprey for the maharaja of Patiala takes pride of place in the private dining room, while 17th and 18th century Tanjore paintings and handwoven Persian carpets adorn the walls with decanters and crockery from the palace of the maharaja of Faridkot displayed in cabinets.
colonelsaab.co.uk
ALL IMAGES, LEFT: ANDREW MEREDITH
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