Eating in the eighties

Celebrating the culinary and the incongruous, dining concept Restaurants in Residence will occupy a disused office block in Canary Wharf, which is being reimagined as a 1980s office.

Ben Rhymer conceived the concept and appointed Peter and Paul to design a brand and help art direct the space which he found on Heron Way, E1.

The consultancy says, ‘We want to reflect the fact that Restaurants in Residence is housed within this office block by presenting RIR as a business in itself. One which operates and talks like a corporate business from the 1980s.’

Peter and Paul let us have a look at the mood board awash with big mobile phones, big computers, big egos and big shoulder pads, grouped under ‘business, politics and technology.’

Out of this has emerged an aesthetic which takes in a rather 80s corporate logo, a playful swapping of body parts for vegetables on other comms, and a computer paper look. 

The 80 seat restaurant with kitchen and balcony bar, will take up a whole floor of the building and ‘celebrate the context of the space’ says Rhymer who is not having it designed as a restaurant space, but instead bringing in props to support the theme.

‘There’ll be a receptionist playing [80s radio show playbacks of] Steve Wright in the Afternoon, old printers, telephones and even someone doing data entry in one corner,’ says Rhymer, ‘We don’t have to create a restaurant.’

Restaurants will be brought in including The Clove Club, presenting a concept called Young Turk; Dalston based A Little Bit of What You Fancy, presenting A Little Bit More of What You Fancy; and Shacklewell  Nights. 

‘It’s going to be a bit Canary Wharf meets David Brent’ says Rhymer.

Restaurants in Residence runs from 25 June – 23 July.