Situated within the historic Treasury Building of Brisbane, the Fat Noodle brief was to demonstrate the 'heritage' of the food offered across many Asian cuisines and to celebrate the relationship between colonial architecture and Asian cultures. With dual entrances to the restaurant, a street presence was required to catch the eye of the pedestrian traffic out on the street as well as those who are already within the casino. Due to heritage restrictions this could only be achieved through glimpses into the interior. The soaring ceilings provided the opportunity to dazzle with super scaled suspended elements in the dining space and back lit vertical installations in the bar area.
The elegance and grand proportions of the historic building helped to highlight the intricate details that the space already affords. This demanded a level of sophistication in the design, but the initial inspiration actually came from the 'Hawker's' markets for their open kitchens and fast paced cookery. From there, the space was layered with modern twists and turns on iconic Asian artefacts and symbolism with references to eating utensils, stories of mythical creatures from the 'Forbidden City', a lucky coin and even Confucius’s ancient game of Mahjong.
The bar front takes on the form of an ancient scroll unravelling whilst a new basketweave parquetry floor references Asian steam baskets whilst respecting the traditional flooring of the heritage building. With highly customised and bespoke interiors, Fat Noodle exemplifies the studio’s energetic approach to design. True artisans were enlisted to craft the bespoke elements including special effects staging builders, industrial designers, stone masons, metal workers and even a foundry.
An abstract fire dragon light sculpture bursting from the entry corridor and diving into the kitchen entices diners in the door and breathes energy into the open kitchen. A suspended custom chandelier of woks with up-lighting to thousands of golden chopsticks delicately dances overhead in the dining room. Large lion head guardians to the back lit mirror wall were purposely sculpted; artwork of the Mahjong tiles and stunning custom gold wallpaper adorn the walls of the private dining room. The studio's objective is to make each design as individual and unique as possible – responding only to the brief, the building and the client. Innovation plays a huge part in this process.