3 of the best new Australian restaurant fit-outs

In some restaurants, the design of the space is as big a drawcard as the food and the service. We look at three unique and Insta-worthy fitouts that add another level of flavour to the dining experience.  

  Named for Japanese chef Tomotaka Ishizuka, this exclusive 16-seater is located in a basement on Melbourne's Bourke Street. Its menu features seasonally-driven, "Kaiseki" haute cuisine served as a 10 to 12-course degustation, priced at $215 per person. With complex, subtle dishes made of luxe ingredients (e.g., Beluga caviar topped with tofu) and served with great ceremony, Good Food calls it an "adventure in Japanese tastes".   Fitout-wise it's an adventure too. The first thing reviewers note is what an ordeal it is to even find the place. Fortunately, when you do actually get through the door you enter a stunning, sparse cave with roughly-textured concrete columns sculpted to look like trees, foliage overhead casting magical shadows and a huge floor-to-ceiling fabric lantern/room divider. It's an experience that one reviewer likened to entering "the lair of the world's most stylish troll".   Architects Russell & George have captured the other-worldly feel of the food in their interior, describing it as "bold, unusual, controversial, thought-provoking yet in complete balance - just like Kaiseki."  

2. Fonda Bondi, Bondi Beach

  People go to Fonda Bondi for tacos, colourful salads, poke bowls and tostadas washed down with a range of signature cocktails. They also go for the whole dialled-down Mexicana experience of the space, a "narrative" that starts in the bustling bar at the front, continues through the intimate booth seating in the middle out to the banquette seating in the rear "sanctuary".   Interior designers Studio Esteta have used a mix of colours inside to create a humble, at-home feel that echoes the brand's motto "mi casa, su casa". Powder blue paint and terrazzo reflect Bondi Beach; earthy shades of terrazzo, leather and wood give the Mexican feels; topped off with shades of green through the potted cacti, and yet more (green) terrazzo.   Custom rattan screens, pendant lights, sconces and tables set against textured walls reinforce the fun, fresh, youthfulness of the brand, its casual service model and its hip location. In fact, the designers talk of how their terrazzo resembles "aerial views of Bondi beach with people scattered along the shores". 


3. Ban Ban, Adelaide

  Bringing crunchy Korean fried chicken and beer to Adelaide since July 2018 is Ban Ban, which means "half-half" - confusing, since a serving in their restaurant is actually a whole chicken in 14 pieces. The idea is that you can order half with one sauce and/or seasoning, and the other half with a different combination to try a variety of tastes. The chicken is dipped in Ban Ban's house-made batter, made from more than 15 ingredients. The K-Pop inspired interior is the work of Adelaide-based Genesin Studio and it's all about the tiling: handmade tiles from the Netherlands on the benches, table tops and room dividers.   Diners sit shoulder to shoulder on communal bench seats. Baby blue tiling sits with the mint green of the stools and the pastel pink shades of the tableware. Lighting is a mixture of downlights and playful neons.   Principal of Genesin, Studio Ryan Genesin says, "The food's quite fun and colourful, and I think that's the joy of it, is that the food sings, and we're kind of platforming the food and creating a space to display it."   Whether it's handmade tiles, bespoke furniture or a shiny new kitchen, these kinds of fitouts are a sizeable investment that as a restaurant-owner you need to protect - whether from fire, storm damage, theft or any number of other risks. For advice on getting the right cover for a hospitality business, contact a restaurant insurance specialist through Advisr.  

  Bringing crunchy Korean fried chicken and beer to Adelaide since July 2018 is Ban Ban, which means "half-half" - confusing, since a serving in their restaurant is actually a whole chicken in 14 pieces. The idea is that you can order half with one sauce and/or seasoning, and the other half with a different combination to try a variety of tastes. The chicken is dipped in Ban Ban's house-made batter, made from more than 15 ingredients. The K-Pop inspired interior is the work of Adelaide-based Genesin Studio and it's all about the tiling: handmade tiles from the Netherlands on the benches, table tops and room dividers.   Diners sit shoulder to shoulder on communal bench seats. Baby blue tiling sits with the mint green of the stools and the pastel pink shades of the tableware. Lighting is a mixture of downlights and playful neons.   Principal of Genesin, Studio Ryan Genesin says, "The food's quite fun and colourful, and I think that's the joy of it, is that the food sings, and we're kind of platforming the food and creating a space to display it."   Whether it's handmade tiles, bespoke furniture or a shiny new kitchen, these kinds of fitouts are a sizeable investment that as a restaurant-owner you need to protect - whether from fire, storm damage, theft or any number of other risks. For advice on getting the right cover for a hospitality business, contact a restaurant insurance specialist through Advisr.