The owner of the Michelin restaurant The Wilderness, Alex Claridge assigned 2G to design & fit out an experimental new restaurant that’s aim was to be “a raw, unedited, and decidedly stripped-back sibling to The Wilderness”. Housed in a Grade II listed warehouse in Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter, the aim was to provide an experience that was both connecting yet with an element of unease for diner.
The Brief
Alex had a vision of the space, the offering & the experience and 2G worked closely with him to bring it to life in the design and the fit out. The aim of Albatross was to offer just one sitting per service, inviting fourteen guests to partake in a communal dining experience around an intimate central kitchen counter. Everyone has a front row seat on the action, as chefs serve a rapid-fire sequence of twelve (or more) dishes, in an omakase-style service.
The kitchen’s approach is modern and minimalist – in Claridge’s words, the food is “brutalist in style”. An ever-changing line-up of fresh fish, seafood, and coastal ingredients plays the lead role.
The Challenge
Albatross is housed in a restored factory in Newhall Square on the edge of Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter. It is a relatively small yet beautiful Grade II listed building bringing challenges, as well as gems, along the development journey.
Alex had a vision of the space, the offering & the experience and 2G worked with him to bring this to life. Alex wanted a minimalist interior exposing the bones of the building, providing luxury stripped back to its essentials. Such elements of brutalism needed to respect the building yet provide a comfortable & memorable experience for the diner.
We had a short time frame in which to design and the fit out could take no longer than 2 weeks to be carried out.
The Solution
Albatross is a vision of a restaurant. It seats fourteen guests around a monolithic kitchen counter, serving a singular tasting menu of twelve (or more) dishes.
The restaurant design and fit out resulted in a soft industrial look and feel, with a focus on raw materials and minimal embellishment. The size and scale of the central stainless steel kitchen counter gives the sense of being at the heart of the kitchen, whilst the warm brick walls offset the raw steel and concrete fittings, creating a space that is at once utilitarian and inviting.
The restaurant offers just one sitting per service, inviting fourteen guests to partake in a communal dining experience around an intimate central kitchen counter. Everyone has a front row seat on the action, as chefs serve a rapid-fire sequence of twelve (or more) dishes, in an omakase-style service.
We have a projector in the background giving a sense that you are embedded in an exhibition that provides a sense of mystique and awe.
It’s a truly wonderful space and we encourage you all to visit.
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