English text by Irene Luo
Walking along First Avenue through Manhattan’s East Village, you may notice one restaurant that stands apart from the others. Its large floor-to-ceiling window beckons you to peek in at the people sitting at a long communal table relishing bowls of delicious rice noodles. Under a canopy of curved, wooden slats—which look like rows of oversized noodles—a diverse conglomeration of droplet-shaped lights hang from the ceiling, filling the sandy-hued space with warm light.
The design of this small rice noodle shop, Hunan Slurp, was recently honored by The Architect’s Newspaper with the 2018 Best of Design Award in the interior design and hospitality category. It was designed by New Practice Studio, a firm based in New York City and Shanghai, China, that has been at the forefront of reinventing Chinese restaurants in New York City.
Hunan Slurp in East Village. (Picture courtesy of Montse Zamorano)
Challenging Norms
For many people, “Chinese restaurant” means delicious, flavorful cuisine, but the interior design—ranging from no-frills to garish—doesn’t quite match the quality of the food, says Sidong Lang, a partner at New Practice Studio.
For the older generation of Chinese restaurant owners, the only thing that mattered was ensuring their food tasted delightful. But a new crop of 1990s-born restaurateurs and designers are striving for not just exquisite cuisine, but also excellent customer service and beautiful interior design.
Among those who are leading this trend are the designers at New Practice Studio, which is led by three innovative, ethnically Chinese designers—Nianlai Zhong, Tai-li Li, and Sidong Lang—who were united by their shared philosophies on design.
(From left to right) Nianlai Zhong, Sidong Lang, and Tai-li Lee are the three partners at New Practice Studio. (Courtesy of New Practice Studio)
Exposed to both Chinese traditions and Western aesthetic ideals, they marry these two systems with ease in their designs for Chinese restaurants. They skillfully incorporate visual elements that reflect the distinctive cuisine and cultural background of each establishment. The restaurants they’ve designed are elegant and balanced, challenging conventional notions about the appearance of Chinese restaurants.
Tradition and Modernity
Among their recent works is Tang Hotpot, completed in 2017, which has already become the go-to spot for authentic, high-end hotpot in New York City. Drawing inspiration from the Tang Dynasty, its design is dignified and graceful, uniting modern design elements with the ancient culinary tradition of Sichuan hotpot.
Tang Hotpot’s classy exterior and large window beckon passersby to come try its authentic Sichuan hotpot. (Picture courtesy of Montse Zamorano)
The restaurant’s name derives from its owner’s love of the Tang Dynasty, a golden era of cultural diversity and openness. The centerpiece of the design is a large, contemporary mural of four Tang Dynasty court ladies savoring hotpot together.
Since the space has an especially high ceiling, the designers contemplated how to enhance that void with some more texture and dimension. In the end, they chose to hang golden mesh screens from the ceiling. Made from coiled aluminum, the screens float above the semicircular banquette seats below, diffusing light throughout the space.
Four palace ladies savor a meal in this mural on the back wall of Tang Hotpot. (Picture courtesy of Montse Zamorano)
Tangible to Intangible
In designing their award-winning work, Hunan Slurp, they were faced with a dilemma: What would be the best design for this narrow space? The conventional approach was to put chairs or booth seating along the wall and put tables that can be split or joined together based on the number of people in a party.
Long communal tables, inspired by the ones commonly found in China’s night markets, sit at the center of Hunan Slurp. (Picture courtesy of Montse Zamorano)
But the owner of Hunan Slurp wanted to create an air of community, a gathering spot for people to savor casual, scrumptious bowls of noodles together. So instead of seating by the wall, they put long communal tables at the center of the space, drawing inspiration from the long tables commonly seen in China’s night markets. “We wanted to create an atmosphere of everyone gathering to eat together,” said Tai-li Li.
Rows of wood encircle Hunan Slurp’s interior like noodles spanning one side of the restaurant to the other. (Picture courtesy of Montse Zamorano)
No design is perfect, and every choice made requires sacrifice of the alternatives, says Nianlai Zhong. But the final choice should add meaning and take the design to new heights, elevating ordinary to extraordinary. In the tangibles of a design, a designer must know how to create intangible value.
While New Practice Studio has designed primarily restaurants, it will eventually expand to include a much broader range of projects, from hotels to organization headquarters.
“What makes us unique is our willingness to try new things, to challenge and transform people’s conventional notions, and to offer a new kind of experience.” Nianlai said.
Other restaurant design by New Practice:
Located in the neighborhood of Columbia University, Atlas Kitchen has three distinct areas: a main section encircled by a stunning landscape mural; a section on the side, decorated with pots of greenery hanging above a communal table; and a semiprivate dining room in the back.
