KIOKU BY ENDO

Kioku means ‘memory’. The restaurant’s name reflects the nostalgia of a life’s story.

KIOKU

BY ENDO

JAPANESE RESTAURANT

at The Owo, London, UK

A project commissioned by Creative Restaurant Group.

We worked on two different areas within the new OWO hotel: Kioku by Endo, a rooftop restaurant with terrace and a private dining room within the turret, and Kioku Bar which is at the entrance of the hotel on the ground floor. The spaces are integrated and flow within the scheme of the hotel yet retain a distinct personality.

AS FEATURED IN

The narrative

The narrative for this project begins with the story of an imaginary culinary pilgrim. A man with a fascination for cooking, who took to travel, gathering and sharing knowledge of recipes and techniques from diverse lands. When the culinary pilgrim returned to his native Japan, he brought ingredients and learnings to create a new restaurant concept. We searched the archives and found a menu from the opening night at a new hotel in Yokohama. This became the central location of our narrative.

Within this new hotel, European influence changed the way that meals were prepared, moving from traditional floor cooking to table height. Patrons were seated at tables on chairs as a display of worldly opulence. European and Japanese techniques worked together to create something never seen before in Japan, and the concept of fusion was born.

Dramatic views of London are framed by delicate and elegant theatrical curtains that allow soft light to fill the space. Design techniques have created a united space where bar, restaurant and terrace restaurant flow as one. The external stone floor carries on into the bar, bringing the outdoors inside, and increasing the visual communication between exterior and interior.

This project is special, for its absolute simplicity. We have allowed the materials to speak for themselves, their seamless beauty is displayed in its purest form.

We have embraced the Japanese design ethos of finding beauty in minimalism. This approach makes the details bring deep meaning to the dining experience.

Chef Endo Kazutoshi, is a 3rd generation sushi master, the centuries-old Edomae style of sushi runs deep in his DNA. Endo came to London from Yokohama, just south of Tokyo and has hence changed a whole city’s perception of Japanese Cuisine. His passion is Omakase—this is the technique of curated stage cooking where a chef can really express their art and get closer to guests.

Endo considers himself a craftsman rather than a chef, his level of detail is akin to the way that we work creatively in the studio. There is a narrative to every ingredient he carefully procures from considered sources. Ingredients are used in their purest form and not disguised by seasonin. Hence, we designed the interiors to follow this ethos of purity and narrative.

THE PIANO WELCOMES GUESTS

Live music—purity with a human touch. Pianos were traditionally played in Raffles. To recreate a timeless atmosphere, this piano is played at the beginning of the evening to gently entertain and into the evening to create emotional resonance. This is a vintage piano. It had to be Yamaha, a Japanese brand more than 100 years in the making and the birthplace of the world’s finest pianos.

PIANO STOOL

This is a bespoke creation by Pirajean Lees, a short version of its taller counterparts downstairs in Kioku Bar. We spent considerable time and care designing and refining the piano stool, drawing inspiration from vintage Japanese bath stools. The upholstered domed velvet seat is a faux-plain, to allow the form of this piece to speak for itself whilst adding texture and for extreme comfort during late night sessions. We also love that they look like little mochis.

Guests pass through the stage kitchen on their way to be seated. This is a purposeful design decision to create an immersive experience for guests; a framed theatre within the space. Here, the artists at work can be observed on this stage that allows the protagonists—the chef and his team, and their culinary creations to be admired.

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Chef Endo takes centre stage at his restaurant Kioku by Endo

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Open kitchen for stage Japanese cooking at Kioku by Endo at Raffles, within the OWO in London

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The washrooms within Kioku restaurant

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Chef Endo takes centre stage at his restaurant Kioku by Endo

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The centre-stage chef’s table has sliding doors which can create a private area for special occasions. The space is a long, narrow rectangle so we created long sequences with mirrored portals which frame and highlight the progression from one space to another. The reflection of light and movement draws guests towards succinct dining areas.

PRIVATE DINING IN THE TURRET

A space to make your own.

The turret is a very significant part of the Old War Office with spectacular views over St. James Park and Horse Guards Parade and Buckingham palace in the distance. A round space made of stone within this listed building, it posed an acoustic challenge and every intervention we made to improve the guest experience had to be carefully considered. When we designed this space, a carpet was essential to absorb sound and add comfort and warmth. The walls are draped in heavy linen curtains to improve the acoustics.

We used all 8 bay windows to our advantage, either framing the views, or housing a bespoke joinery piece, a record player and a private mini bar. The guests can easily make this private room their own, feeling at home, pouring a drink, and independently choosing the music to suit the mood.

The mural on the ceiling is inspired by a Japanese proverb about the love between the sun and the moon. Representing immortality, the ink moon is made of many layers of indigo, while the carpet represents the sun. Here, guests dine around a bespoke oak table in equilibrium between the sun and the moon.

‘Zen’. This is the name of the embroidered hand-woven and hand spun silk fabric we used for the chairs in the restaurant. The raw silk, with its delicate details, is inspired by Japanese landscapes and brought us back to the narrative for this project. We took inspiration for the selection of this fabric from the original chairs in elegant Japanese hotels in the early 20th century.