Bangalore Express Restaurant Interior by Outline
Outline, a London based design practice, created the interior for the Bangalore Express Indian Restaurant located opposite Waterloo Station in South London.
From Outline:
The client wanted a modern and fresh environment to serve their unique version of fast, Indian food. After discussions it became clear that what was required was a re-invention of a very British institution, the Indian curry house.
Previously a Thai restaurant, Outline’s response was to strip the space back to its basic shell of three separate areas. Great care was taken to frame the views through and between these spaces, so that they made a cohesive whole, while maintaining a sense of intimacy. The restaurant’s wall cladding has a linear pattern cut into it. This was done on site using a circular saw to cut shallow grooves. The cladding was then painted one solid colour, after which some of the shapes, created by the grooves, were painted in a strict palette of three contrasting colours. This allowed a composition of shapes and colours, which moves the customer’s eyes around and through the spaces in a controlled way. The inspiration for this wall cladding came from looking at the waste board building contractors put under sheet materials when cutting through them. This process leaves the under board with a series of random, shallow grooves.
Most of the furniture is constructed from fastclamp, galvanised steel tube and fixings, normally used in scaffolding. This gives the restaurant a purposeful, harder edge than the rest of the materials and introduces an urban aspect to the interior.
A series of double height booths runs the entire length of one side of the restaurant. Diners access the higher booths by a scaffold tube step ladder. A mock up of this arrangement was constructed on site to work out how the waiters would serve to the higher levels and review the experience for the customer. The high booths have proved to be a popular feature for the restaurant, while also providing a valuable 24 extra covers.
Visit Outline’s website – here. Visit the Bangalore Express website – here.
Photography – Philip Vile
Luke on 27 Feb 2009 at 12:06 pm #
This restaurant is totally remarkable!
Remarkable!
Remarkable!
Remarkable!
Eric on 27 Feb 2009 at 1:45 pm #
A cool design, but that is a lawsuit (or workers comp claim) waiting to happen. The ladders down from the upper booths provide no support past the first few steps. I can’t imagine there weren’t issues when they tried the mock-up. Hopefully, they don’t sell any alcohol at this restaurant.
alexandre on 27 Feb 2009 at 4:36 pm #
finally a restaurant i like.
alexandre on 27 Feb 2009 at 4:39 pm #
yeah, eric, i had thought about the waiters climbing those ladders, but i figured “bah, if they’re properly trained i guess it’s ok”, but i totally agree, it’s quite risky to serve alcohol for the upper floor tables…
guerilla on 27 Feb 2009 at 4:41 pm #
I certainly would not like people going up and down over my head – and I certainly wouldn’t like their feet above my booth and food.
That said, the interior design scheme is a rip on Chris Ofili’s design at the Pascal Cafe in Oslo; and not nearly half as interesting.
alexandre on 27 Feb 2009 at 4:45 pm #
yeah, definitely, they really should reconsider (or maybe it’s fit to say simply consider for the first time…) a safety improvement there…
at least onde of those things, how you call it? i forgot the name… those things you put alongside stairs, where you put your hand while going up and down… you know?
Kevin K on 27 Feb 2009 at 5:16 pm #
I love it. I must go here the next time I’m in London!
{ kattyface } on 27 Feb 2009 at 5:47 pm #
ugh, how annoying that would be for the people in the lower booths.. unless someone coming down the ladder was wearing a skirt!
Roberta Gee on 27 Feb 2009 at 6:20 pm #
This is great. One thing that is really lacking in this world, is people willing to take a chance and do something different, but thankfully there are some who do.
Love it. Love it. Love it.
I will also put it on my list of places to go the next time I’m in London.
hd on 27 Feb 2009 at 6:23 pm #
They must have killer insurance. Nice design, but you either have to be a gymnast, 7 yrs. old or an astronaut to use the upper booths…
Hande on 28 Feb 2009 at 5:42 am #
I think its design is different from all restaurants, and that’s why it’s preferable. In september i’ll be in this restaurant i’m sure!
o on 28 Feb 2009 at 6:37 am #
Our company have had a couple of informal meetings here and we have sat both in the upper and lower booths and I have to say it was a truely enjoyable experience in both. The food was great, the service was great, yes they serve alcohol to the upper booths but we had no problems getting up or down after a few cobras and yes when you sit below you do have people’s feet going up the ladder every now and again but that’s all part of the unique experience.
All I can say is that I’d recommend anyone go there if they ever get the chance
Jurgen on 28 Feb 2009 at 7:01 am #
if you cant handle your booze on the upper deck, dont drink. sea ships have had similar designs for who know how long. and i dont think this restaraunt has the rocking motion of a ship.
tom on 28 Feb 2009 at 8:15 am #
nice one but I can truly imagine sand and mud from the shoes of someone else landing in my food..
Byron on 28 Feb 2009 at 3:26 pm #
Wonderful idea but I do agree it looks quite dangerous.
Brendan on 01 Mar 2009 at 2:05 pm #
Not terribly original, I remember a restaurant on Kings Road called “The Jam” back in ‘98. Same concept. Looks like it is still around and called “Bouno Sera at the Jam”
http://flickr.com/photos/wetwebwork/166681616/in/set-72157594203447657/
kast on 01 Mar 2009 at 6:27 pm #
i think the board that covering below the cadd ladder is to small and ur food might be ruin by sand and dirt from the ladder …use perspector glass …its a nice and exiting idea ( even look unconfortable for the lower zone )
Burak on 02 Mar 2009 at 4:16 am #
@Brendan – yes, Buona Sera is still there with the double-decker booths. Sarastro in Covent Garden also has a similar layout with little grottos and booths up the stairs, although the lewd art work in the toilets is also quite a sight.
Annamarie on 04 Mar 2009 at 11:28 am #
The steps could be a little wider so that your foot rests easy on it. They could put plexiglass on the back of the ladder, so as not to obstruct the view of the customer and keep debris from coming in contact with the customer or the food.
Linda on 04 Mar 2009 at 1:58 pm #
Leave it to Londoners to find a way to pack more people into a limited space. It’s the kind of place I would go to once only…maybe if the food was reportedly good.
Roberta Gee on 04 Mar 2009 at 2:24 pm #
The restaurant has normal seating as well.
Rosie on 05 Mar 2009 at 7:38 pm #
No no no and no. I would definitely NOT like people’s feet that close to my food!
Rosie on 05 Mar 2009 at 7:39 pm #
Oh and also, it’s not very aesthetically pleasing. It’s a bit messy looking.
Jimbonium on 08 Mar 2009 at 3:31 pm #
Kings Road Jam opened in the summer of 1973, it was initially called Mowats, designed by an Englishman, paid for by Canadians, it was an ingenious way of getting a 60 seat restaurant into a 13′ x 50′ floor space.
Floor to ceiling smoked glass mirrors on both sides gave an illusion of space, the stairs to the second level were between the downstairs tables so there wasn’t the problem of feet at eye level.
I worked there and owned the Jam for ten years, never had a serious accident – and everybody wanted to sit upstairs … and we had a liquor license, no problemo.
I sold the restuarant to our wine shipper in 1982 and he has owned it ever since. The original and the best with this design – in London at any rate.
zed on 12 Mar 2009 at 2:40 am #
Unique design. I think the most feasible solution to avoid the annoying steps of people going to the upper deck is to place an enclosure on the ladder itself. That should decrement the inconvenience.
LeeAnn on 30 Mar 2009 at 8:17 am #
I think it’s a great idea, and I also wanted to comment on a few things. To the people saying it should be enclosed or they don’t want people’s feet in their faces, take a closer look at the latter. You can see it best in the first and second pictures, there seems to be a pull down mechanism meant for just that. Also, there is a groove cut into the table as well. I also agree with the fact that if you can’t hold your booze that well maybe you shouldn’t be sitting up there in the first place.
Amber on 20 Apr 2009 at 6:25 pm #
I’m glad i’m not the waiters/waitresses here! As many of you have said it appears they must have some killer insurance for their employees to climb those things.
The idea is great but maybe not as well planned out as it should’ve been for safety reasons.
Nissy on 29 Apr 2009 at 8:12 am #
It would be better if the down booth were ‘pushed’ in more to give the customer more privacy and security from ’sand’ from sandals pouring into their foods
J Mintuck on 31 Aug 2009 at 9:46 pm #
I would like to go here to see this.I would sit “upstairs” just for a new thing to do for once.
I am in Canada and I dont know if this would be allowed here. I learnt that they have so many regulations for things here, like x amt. tables per toilet and X amount of people in x size of floor space-fire regs. I dont know how they could maximize like this place with all those fire and safty regulations here. They are as strict as sh!t here.