Charles Phan's restaurant, which is by now nationally famous, centers around wonderful natural ingredients, which are simply yet elegantly prepared. Our idea was to utilize the same concept for the architecture and in doing so avoid a thematic feel to the design. Salvaged cypress wood slabs, stone floors, raw steel and stacked plate glass establish a palette that is both assertive and textural.

The natural edges of the cypress recall driftwood, the joints in the stacked glass wall, which read silver, evoke images of a school of herring – subtle references to the fact that the location, the Ferry Building, is built above water.

Because of the short time frame – 10 months from start of design to opening – we had our shop do much of the custom work on the project. We built the tables, glass facade, seating, host stand, light fixtures, and the stacked glass wall.