FOUNDATIONAL ELEMENTS
The 9 Foundational Elements create a platform which supports The 5 Pillars. The Founational Elements are:
USE OF SPACE
Service Style
FUSION OF CONCEPTS
U-SHAPED BAR
PARTICIPATION
LE SALON
Music
Choreography
Atmosphere
USE OF SPACE
We’ve found a way to make a tiny space extremely compelling. When you have only 242sf to use, you have to use every square inch to tell a story and create a vibe. We’ve mastered both from a functional standpoint and for it’s entertainment factor. We’ve found ways to display nearly everything we use in the service, partly, because without any storage, we have had to do so. You’ve never seen such an effective and efficient use of space. It’ll give you ideas for your home and kitchen, for sure.
SERVICE STYLE
The application of an Omakase Service Style allows our guests to be free of decisions and just go with the flow. Entrusting in a master, guide, host and teacher like you do at RAW LAB allows for many questions to be asked, myths to be busted and an elevated understanding of where to find value in food and wine, as per your preferences.
FUSION OF CONCEPTS
We combined two things in this model: First, An Ancient Oriental (Japanese) Service Style -”Omakase”. Secondly, A Modern Occidental (European/American) Cuisine - ”Raw Bar / Seafood / Marine Cuisine”
This is unique with regards to FUSION concepts. Historically, most fusion concepts fuse two types of cuisine (Asian + Cuban, for example).
THE U-SHAPED BAR
As a feature you would not think it would be so consequential. We didn’t expect it to be either. Initially, we were just designing the bar to maximize the number of seats we could have. What we DISCOVERED in practice was that there is a magic in putting all the guests in this formation. With Chef at center it’s a bit like the primal human experience of standing around a fire. What we were able to create, it became clear, was a seating arrangement that supported discussion, comparison, participation and excitement among and between the guests…and the guests and the chef.
LE SALON
Moreover, the U-Shaped Bar, in fact, created something we discovered to magical. What it created is a Salon, literally, in the 16th - 18th Century / European / Renaissance & Age of Enlightenment definition of the term. READ WIKIPEDIA’S DEFINITION / HISTORY OF IT HERE. In this form of a gathering, a host (usually a maven on a subject) curates a performance / presentation for a group of influential guests. These guests participate in, discuss and evaluate the content, talents and merits of the performance / presentation and / or performer, in real time, as a group, before, during and after the performance.
PARTICIPATION
When you custom design and build a U-Shaped bar with an ice moat that features a bespoke / functional ice sculpture which is central to the service you have built a “set” or a “stage”. With this amenity, the guests are very much a part of the show. They participate in a Salon. In every part of the service / performance there are comparisons made and conversations had, from start to finish. And it ends with an exhilarating finish - a jam session. Instruments are handed out to guests (cowbell, tambourine, bongos, maracas…etc). 12 adults turn into kids again for 3 songs. Just before checks are presented a rush of blood comes to everyone’s body. It forces movement after a big meal. And that feels good. Its ridiculous and fun. It’s just one more way in which all of the guests are actors in the play, participant to the experience.
MUSIC
Music supports an escape into a surreal place. Courses (even some bites and their preparations) have a soundtrack. Most of the music is very unusual or unfamiliar. Nearly all songs feature lyrics that are not in English. Songs with lyrics typically feature Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, Pidgin, French, Patois and/or African dialects. Its weird, fun, and cool. Guests consistently ask for access to the playlists which we happily provide. Nothing is played by accident and its not uncommon to see guests grooving in their seats. Volume goes up and down with the moment. And the sound system is impeccable. like a concert or being in the round in a musical production.
CHOREOGRAPHY
Many moments are highly choreographed. Timing has been polished to the maximum effect. This creates culinary theater. Some moments are, admittedly, way over the top, intentionally. Some are less so. Either way, it’s fun and part of why this is DINNER & A SHOW.
ATMOSPHERE
When you eliminate common items from the view of guests (anything you’d see at home) and build out ways to feature uncommon objects (things you rarely see) you can create an alternative universe. Our space has the feeling of being underwater, on another planet, in the future. Light and decor are critical. Gone are the typical decorations you are often surrounded by in a dining room. The principal feature is our living plant canopy. The result is a mystical space and experience.