By Sherry Koh | May 10, 2010
Tasteful touches at Din Tai Fung restaurant
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| Grand entrance: The panel where the logo is, at the far right, is actually an entrance door for Din Tai Fung's staff |
It’s so red. After all, it is the exterior of a Chinese restaurant, Din Tai Fung. Fortunately, the restaurant has more than just its ‘matador approved’ colour to lure people.
Din Tai Fung is a franchise from Taiwan. It was founded in year 1958 and serves Shanghainese cuisine. Architecturally, the main feature is the show kitchen. Culinary wise, it is their steamed dumplings. Each dumpling has precisely 18 folds to ensure that the broth continues to swim within the thin yet firm paste. Such attention to detail spills over to the restaurant’s interior design as Din Tai Fung director Lim Meng Lu points out.
“Din Tai Fung is not just any franchise. The owner in Taiwan pays attention to detail. It is not about rapid expansion. That’s not the point. I was impressed with the whole philosophy of Din Tai Fung, the owner’s mindset and his method of running it. All these years, the original outlet still stands in Taipei.
“He is also very meticulous, right down to making sure that one grain of rice is picked up from the floor. It has everything to do with service. Of course, with restaurants, the food has to be good. Din Tai Fung takes one step further. It is about providing customers with a holistic (dining) experience. The queues are phenomenal in Taiwan!,” explains Lim, who co-owns the Malaysia branches with two
other partners.
Two outlets, two different worlds
Din Tai Fung is located at Mid Valley Megamall and Pavilion Kuala Lumpur (KL). The menu, pricing and restaurant’s logo (which is calligraphic-like) are the same. Both outlets sit 150 persons, though the one at Pavilion KL is 4,600sq ft, while the Mid Valley outlet is 3,600sq ft.
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Nice touch: Cashier’s black marble top counter, with a cut-in slot for
customers to rest their handbags during payment |
Unlike other franchises that feature cookie-cutter types of interior design, there are little similarities between the two branches. The outlet at Mid Valley feature lighter or pale colours for its tables and floor. Also, the tables are closer as compared to the more luxurious space of the Pavilion’s branch.
“The franchisor gave comments on the operational side, such as where to place the service stations and its sizes, not so much on interior design,” says Lim. She also mentioned that there are more than 50 outlets in 10 countries and although most of them look different, most of them feature the show kitchen upfront.
“During peak hours, the show kitchen has up to nine chefs, all of them making dumplings. When there is a queue outside, our customers can see how the dumplings are freshly made and prepared,” Lim explains.
Two forts – red and black
The decor at their flagship outlet in Pavilion can be summed up as modern contemporary. “During the brief, I told the designer that I want distinct sections and provide customers with a sense of privacy,” Lim shares. When the designer, John Ding of Unit One, presented her with the 3D model, she was concerned with the generous splashes of red colour at the entrance. Ding reassured her that it would be beautiful, and she was right to trust his judgement.
The Pavilion outlet features two distinct sections - Red Fort and Black Fort. Staying true to the franchisor’s eye for detail, both forts infuse clever touches of creativity and thoughtfulness.
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| Look up: Unique custom-made ‘noodle chopsticks’ light |
Red Fort
Pointing to the table in the show kitchen, Lim enthuses, “The weighing scale is from Japan and it measures till 0.1 degree of accuracy. See this worktable top (where chefs make the dumplings), the wood is called Hinoki wood and it is imported from Taiwan. It is really beautiful with nice grains.” The entrance at the Red Fort might not seem as high, but the space ‘opens up’ almost immediately as one enters. This is due to the ‘mind-play’ design. The entrance’s ceiling is lower, hence providing the perception of augmented space when one walks towards Red Fort’s dining area.
“Everything is looked into. For example, the ceiling, it is not completely flat. There are layers at the top as well. As for the cashier’s counter, the top is black marble with the texture and hardness of graphite. Also, you see this space here, there is a cut-in “slot”. This is for the ladies to rest their bag while paying, as opposed to placing their handbags on the counter,” Lim highlights one of the many thoughtful touches.
From afar, the Red Fort might seem just like another Chinese restaurant. But a keen eye will spot some fine ideas which one can use at home too. For example, the walls seem like they are plastered with wallpaper. But in fact, when you look at the walls thisclose, they are colourful painted walls with customised stickers stuck onto them.
Another key feature is the pendant lights which are encircled by long wooden noodle chopsticks at Red Fort’s dining area. Can you say drama?
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Dramatic: Doorway beside the two private rooms at the Black Fort
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Black Fort
You will immediately know when you have crossed over to the Black Fort. It is wooden lattice galore on this side. It might be a familiar sight as such a design has been incorporated into other establishments. But what differentiates it is its detailing.
There are two private rooms at this section, divided by blinds and sliding doors. As with the Red Fort, the walls feature a different set of stickers. The black and off-white walls, together with the clean sleek furniture lines give it a non-Oriental feel, despite its wall stickers depicting earthen pots and such.
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| Keeping it neat: Upon ticking the order sheet and informing the servers, place the sheet into the rectangular slot underneath the table |
Between the rows of seats are dividers with fabric-encased lights. This shields one row from another row’s chat and chew activities.
Right down to the language
The attention to detail is right down to its greetings. In Japanese restaurants, the servers holler with much enthusiasm. Here, they greet and speak in Mandarin. “I want to bring the Taiwanese culture into Malaysia. To enjoy Taiwanese food and service too. The servers all speak in Mandarin. They greet and take orders in Mandarin, for authenticity. But don’t worry, they understand English as well,” clarifies Lu, who was a business consultant prior to becoming a restaurant owner.
A Chinese restaurant that’s not overtly Oriental in design? That’s Din Tai Fung for you. And in true
Din Tai Fung spirit, Zhù Nǐ Guò Yīgè Hǎo Tiān*.
* Wishing you a good day
Other interesting interior designs:
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