Umami Boru & Beard Brothers Deli

Project Type: F&B Outlet
Site Condition: Rectified Unit
Size: 1050 sqft
Location: Tropicana Avenue, Ara Damansara, Selangor
Year of Completion: 2019

Beard Brothers has made quite a name in the slow-cooked BBQ industry. Therefore, when they decided to grow their business into BBQ-based Japanese Ramen and Deli Sandwich niche, it has been an absolute pleasure to work closely with our client Beard Brothers to design their first 2-in-1 F&B unit – Umami Boru and Beard Brothers Deli.

They took over the unit that was once a Thai restaurant. It is conveniently located next to the Beard Brothers BBQ restaurant at Tropicana Avenue in Ara Damansara. Since it is a rental space, we had to identify the locations of the gas pipeline, water inlet and outlet, AC services, and did a space planning and design process around these services. Apart from those non-variables, we had to incorporate other non-variables such as the measurements of commercial kitchen equipment as well as the building management laws & regulations into our overall design.

There are two entrance doors leading into the premise – one is the main double-leaf door facing the pedestrian corridor, and the other is a single-leaf door opposite their other Beard Brothers BBQ premise, which is located next to the passenger elevators connecting to the carpark. Witty quotes are plastered on the glass panels to attract passer-by.

Roughly, one third of the unit is dedicated for the back-of-house with larger kitchen for Umami Boru (Ramen) and a smaller kitchen for Beard Brothers Deli. These kitchens are both connected with a shared dish-washing and storage space. We further divide the two thirds of the unit for the dining space with larger segment for Umami Boru.

Our vision for Umami Boru is to provide a design where modern meets traditional Japan- refined material and textures like matt black aluminium frames and fluted glass are combined with raw textures from the cement render, white bricks and blonde pine wood substitutes from HPL laminate finish. We introduced traditional Japanese elements like the red noren curtains with Umami Boru brand logo and whimsical modern elements of yellow noodle-like long cords of bulb-chandeliers and art mural on the wall featuring Beard Brothers sun bear mascot.

Umami Boru is more targeted to those who dine-in with family and friends. With that in mind, we offered three types of seating area – booth seating area, bar seating area and loose tables with 4-pax seating. The booth seating is much more child-friendly and it is a great option for those who dine-in with toddlers. Toddlers can stand and walk along the seating bench while their parents enjoy their meal. For those who come in large group, the loose dining tables give them flexibility to join tables together. There is also bar seating option for those who dine-in alone. The fluted glass screen hides the view of the busy kitchen but casts a nice silhouette of those working in the kitchen.

On the other side of the premise, Beard Brothers Deli offers café-vibe for those who grab-and-go. The design for the premise is tailored to those who need a quick bite during lunch hour. Therefore, we introduced window bar seating area for those who eat solo or who work on their laptops while having a warm sandwich on the side. Nevertheless, there is also a long table seating to cater to those who come to dine in group.

Our client would like to borrow New York sandwich shop ambiance for the Deli. Therefore, we introduced New York design elements in the premise- from the glossy subway tiles behind the order counter in Beard Brothers Deli brand colors of black and lime green and chalk-style menu on the wall. The timber-style long porcelain tiles at the Deli wraps the patrons in café-vibe warmth alongside the wafting smell of the sandwich.

Existing Site Photos

Site Progress Photos

Hana Suhaimi Interior Design

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