Kenneth Cobonpue and the art of sushi and teppanyaki
For the longest time restaurants in the Philippines never really gave much thought to décor. Most of the time a restaurant’s interiors are reflective of the cuisine to the point of being almost Disneyland-esque — Zen fountains in Japanese restos, Mexican sombreros, hand-painted crockery and hanging paelleras — or they tend to follow a trend.
I’ll never forget in the early years of 2000, almost every bar and resto suddenly got a whitewash and had replicas of Philippe Starck’s clear Ghost chairs. Purple mood lighting and minimalist décor. Let’s not even discuss chain restaurants that, well, no matter if you were in Quezon City or Alabang, always looked the same. Some places never even made an effort but were popular nonetheless because of good food and cheap drinks. However, for those who do like to take pleasure in their surroundings, it made for a rather grim vision in terms of ambience in the drinks and dining scene.
Okay, fine. Yes, I agree, you can’t eat ambience, but I have to say that many times it truly contributes to enhancing the overall experience. Even slurping down a bowl of pho on a grimy counter in a Vietnamese market still counts as ambience, and I feel that oftentimes, places that lack some decorative personality are on the losing end. My husband and I have often found ourselves truly enjoying the food of a resto but maybe not going back as often as we’d like because the lights were too bright, or the room felt uncomfortable, opting for takeout instead.
Nowadays the scene is starting to change, with restaurateurs paying more attention to decorative details, and dining out is not just about eating but a total experience. Take recently opened joints like Your Local with its hipster-industrial feel, Blackbird with its swanky art deco interiors in a heritage building, and even Wholesome Table, whose reclaimed wood and rustic touches, including large trees, reflect the spirit behind its organic cuisine. This is pretty much expected from these unique individual niche market establishments, but what about a franchise resto?
In comes Akira: The Art of Sushi and Teppanyaki in Alphaland City Club Makati, the higher-end casual dining restaurant franchise of the SumoSam Group. Instead of following the usual cookie-cutter interiors like most franchises do, Gilbert Go and his partners decided to think out of the box for this Makati branch and approached world-renowned Filipino designer Kenneth Cobonpue.
“When we first approached him, he was in fact too busy, but it really mattered to us to create something special, so we waited for his schedule to free up,” explains Go.
The high ceilings and exposed pipework serve as an interesting backdrop for their autumnal concept.
“Autumn is the most beautiful season in Japan,” shares Cobonpue. “We wanted to bring that feeling into this space.” Branches grow up the wall and pillars and reach up to the lofty space filled with individually hung burnt-orange leaves. The beautiful effect is meant to mimic leaves fluttering in the crisp autumn wind. “Each leaf had to be studied and individually placed. When we first hung them they looked like clothes drying on a line. There needed to be movement and form.” Each silk leaf was hand-painted individually; no detail was overlooked by the designer.
This was an interesting project for Cobonpue, who usually designs for luxury concepts. “It’s easier to design for very high-end establishments because most of the time budget is not a question,” he says. “Here I had to think about everything, including finding the best materials at the best price and maximizing the space for higher profit and turnover without compromising design. It was a good challenge!”
In honor of his participation, Akira Alphaland City Club changed the name of their classic Unagi Kyu Maki — a really yummy, crunchy roll comprised of soft-shell crab and topped with unagi — to the Kenneth Cobonpue roll. Diners can looked forward to a great menu of aburi sushi, luxury ingredients such as foie gras and Kobe beef and their specialty, teppanyaki artfully made right in front of you by a trained chef whose spatula-tossing, flame-igniting antics feel more ninja than cook. Their large bento box specials, especially the grilled salmon priced at P568, are reflective of the spirit behind the restaurant design — quality and quantity without compromising on flavor.
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Akira Alphaland City Club is on the ground floor of Alphaland Makati Place, Malugay Street corner Ayala Avenue Extension. For information, call 0917-706-7328.
