Cha Cha

Teng

A sensory mash-up of East and West. Reincarnating the infamous Western inspired Hong Kong cafe culture in Marylebone.

Location

Marylebone, London

Sector

Hospitality, Brand Identity

What we did

Interior Design, Brand Indentiy

This is ‘Cha Chaan Teng’ reimagined, remastered, and given a playful twist. The spirit of a traditional Hong Kong Cha Chaan Teng with a heavy dose of contemporary London attitude – serving comforting Chinese classics, alongside curious fusion concoctions.

The Challenge

Shed and Splendid Restaurants come together creating a brand new restaurant offer going by the name Cha Chaan Teng. The new venture occupies over 300sqm and is located in the basement of Club Quarters Hotel in Holborn, London.




The Strategy

The concept is inspired by the infamous Cha Chaan Teng culture of post war Hong Kong.  With increased urbanisation and an influx of western expats, Hong Kong saw a succession of cafes spring up providing locals with access to ‘western food’ otherwise only served in expensive hotel restaurants. The original Cha Chaan Teng cafes were fast paced establishments serving an eclectic and sometimes unlikely mix of ‘East meets West’ food. 




The Solution

Splendid’s Cha Chaan Teng can be seen as the London reincarnation taking the concept full circle; a British interpretation of an Eastern reinterpretation of the Western cuisine. Confused? That’s all part of the charm and a theme that runs through the design, graphics, artworks, cocktails and food.



A Fusion Palette

The sumptuous and kitsch subterranean diner, fuses 1950’s Pan Am decadence with the buzzing cafe culture of the original Cha Chaan Teng. With a shot of modern Asian street art and a 1970s soul/funk soundtrack, our Cha Chaan Teng has been brought kicking and screaming into the 21st century.

The interior is a play on high end materials such as marble and brass pairing them with their faux laminate counterparts. A palette of deep greens, dark timbers, off-whites, bruised browns and deep purples create an unconventional palette but like the food the combination is unexpectedly pleasing.

Creating layers

Basic in form the seats reference a style present in the original Hong Kong cafes. Finished in premium walnut burr with green leather seat pads, avocado piping and paired with black and gold marble tables the final product is given a distinctly British facelift.

The walls and columns of the space are clad in a bespoke oak timber moulding, fitted together to create a waved wall panel unique to Cha Chaan Teng with spun brass cone wall lights.

Building the brand

A broken red and grey logo sits above the entrance on Kingsway, Holborn. Not immediately legible the logo exemplifies the mixed up nature of the brand.

Shed created a full suite of brand assets, from logo to menu and packaging design, including sourcing and commissioning portrait artwork by artist DAIN.